Friday, June 01, 2007 Road obstructions made Piapi fire hard to control By Carlo P. Mallo
ONE of the biggest hindrance to the immediate control of the fire that razed more than 200 houses last Sunday in Barangay 31-D in Piapi were obstructions along the road leading to the inner city settlement near the sea.
According to Davao City Fire office chief Wilberto Kwantiu, the lack of water hydrants in the area also contributed greatly to the delays.
A four-hour fire razed 210 houses to ashes last Sunday. More than a thousand people have been rendered homeless by the incident.
Initial investigations would point to the explosion of an oil lamp as the source of the fire.
In an interview last Wednesday, Kwantiu admitted the firefighters that responded to the incident was delayed because of the presence, or absence, of roads that could accommodate the trucks. It was made worse by the absence of fire hydrants because most hydrants are found along major thoroughfares.
The placement of fire hydrants in areas such as Piapi, according to Kwantiu, is already under the jurisdiction of the barangay.
With the sea breeze coming in, the fire was razed to even greater proportions -- further fed by the light materials the houses were built from.
The City Government of Davao has allocated more than P4 million to be distributed to the various families affected by the incident. It has also initiated a feeding program for those who still temporarily seek shelter.
