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Tuesday, May 23, 2006
320 houses razed in two Cebu sitios
By Jovy S. Taghoy
CEBU CITY -- Residents of two sitios in Barangay Basak Pardo, Cebu City were roused from their sleep at almost 3 a.m. Monday when fire broke out.
They scampered to save lives and belongings.
When the blaze was put under control, about 320 houses were razed and at least 1,500 people were left homeless.
No one died or seriously got hurt but the fire ate up an estimated P1.8-million damage in properties.
Chief investigator Allan Arciaga of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Cebu City said Monday's fire was the biggest so far to hit the city this year.
Fire investigators are looking into the possibility that the couple renting the house where the fire started committed arson or drug users who turned the house into a drug den accidentally set the house on fire.
Barangay Captain Roberto Cabarrubias commended the quick response of the firefighters to the alarm. However, a narrow access road made it difficult for the firefighters to enter the fire scene.
Narrow road
The only access road to the area, which is about 300 meters from the national highway, is a half-meter-wide alley, which means only one or two persons can enter or go out in the area.
Cabarrubias said the fire destroyed 90 percent of all the houses in Sitio Villa San Pedro 2 and at least 25 houses in the nearby sitio of Ubos Pundok.
The houses of Lupon Tagapamayapa member Diosdado Prinsipe, tanod Aurelio Rabasto, and barangay health worker Tessie Ebesa were among those the fire gutted.
The fire department received the alarm at 2:48 a.m.
Considering the location of the fire, Cebu City Fire Marshal Ysmael Codilla raised the status into a general alarm, sending fire stations in the other parts of Cebu to the area.
The Filipino-Chinese Volunteer Fire Brigade and the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation also helped in putting out the fire.
Under control
It took the firefighters one hour and 35 minutes to contain the blaze and declare it under control.
Firefighters, however, stayed until 10 a.m. to extinguish the fire.
Initial information gathered by SFO2 Felix Romero, the investigator assigned to the incident, and Cabarrubias said the fire started at a two-story house owned by live-in partners Lenny Vallejo and Elmer Margallo.
For the past three months, the house had no electricity. The couple, along with their cousin only identified as "Jec-Jec," were using kerosene lamp at night.
The investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the fire.
Romero and Cabarrubias told Sun.Star Cebu they are pursuing three angles that allegedly triggered the fire, including arson.
Cabarrubias said the BFP will invite two witnesses to help in the investigation.
He said the couple and Jec-Jec are alleged drug users and used the house as a drug den. Several drug users reportedly go to the house to sniff drugs.
Threat
Romero and Cabarrubias also received information that Margallo allegedly threatened to burn down the house while the live-in partners were arguing past 10 p.m. Sunday.
One of the witnesses alleged that right after the fire broke out, he saw Margallo walking away from his house.
The witness said he called Margallo about the incident, but the latter ignored him and walked away.
Romero and Cabarrubias tried to locate the whereabouts of the couple, who was nowhere to be found.
The couple reportedly sells onions at the Carbon market.
Asleep
Most of the victims were only able to salvage a little of their belongings because most of them were asleep when the fire broke out.
The areas hit by the fire, Cabarrubias said, were owned privately by Boy Abadiano and Arcilla Espadilla.
The residents were just renting the lots they occupied.
Although he is yet to speak with the lot owners, Cabarrubias said, he heard that the owners are still willing to allow the occupants to build their houses back.
The victims are temporarily sheltered at the barangay gym and at a vacant lot near the fire scene.
They victims were provided Monday with tents from the Cebu City Hall to serve as temporarily houses. (Sun.Star Cebu)
(May 23, 2006 issue)
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