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Saturday, May 10, 2003
Fire levels 100 houses in Pasil
CEBU --- Less than a month after the Suba and Ermita fires, their neighboring barangay in Cebu City suffered the same fate Friday night, prompting local officials to set up a checkpoint and routine patrols to prevent more fires in the area.
Over 100 houses in Barangay Pasil were razed by a 55-minute fire that residents said was caused by sparks from an electrical fuse that exploded.
Four people suffered bruises as they tried to help firefighters.
Business establishments along Tupas St., including Cebuana Pawnshop, were also destroyed.
The fire, the first one this month in Cebu City, was tapped at 7:19 p.m. and was controlled at 8:14 p.m.
Even before the first firetruck boarded by City Fire Marshal Ismael Codilla reached Pasil, the official placed the fire on second alarm because the place was packed with houses.
As he reached the scene, he declared the fire a general alarm, prompting neighboring cities and towns to send firetrucks.
"What's going with our place? Bad luck seems to keep happening," said elder people in neighboring Barangay Suba, as they packed their belongings in case the blaze spread further.
Barangay Suba was also ravaged by fire last April 17, with 327 houses destroyed.
Eleven days later, fire also hit Ermita, killing an elderly man and burning down over 300 houses.
Fire Investigator Felix Romero said Pasil residents told him sparks from an electrical fuse that exploded triggered the blaze that began in the two-story house of Zaldy Calinawan.
He said he will collect debris and wire connections from the burnt house of Calinawan to determine if a short circuit indeed caused the fire.
Lights in Calinawan's house suddenly went off. As Calinawan checked the main switch, its fuse sparked, starting the blaze that quickly spread on the plywood wall.
After the Ermita fire, residents of Pasil and Suba were told to be extra-vigilant because their place will be set ablaze between May 8 and May 20.
Although the source of the threat was not known, officials of the two barangays took it seriously.
Suba Barangay Captain Joel Sable asked the San Nicolas fire sub-station to conduct routine patrol beginning last Thursday.
Pasil, on the other hand, set up a checkpoint on the corner of M.dela Concepcion and L. Flores Sts. Tanods also conduct regular foot patrols.
Pasil Barangay Councilor Mario Bitang, however, said the blaze last night was not related to the threat residents of the two neighboring barangays feared.
"It was clear that the fire started inside the house of Calinawan," he said.
The Bureau of Fire Protection estimated that 60 houses were destroyed, but Bitang said over 100 houses were razed because the area was packed with houses.
Cebu City Councilor Procopio Fernandez said he intends to file a resolution in the City Council seeking for the construction of a reservoir in Suba so local residents can have water in case of another fire.
Fernandez, who is also a resident of Suba, also asked officials of the two barangays to pass a resolution asking for a firetruck to be on standby in their barangay hall. AIV/Sun.Star Cebu
(May 10, 2003 issue)
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