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Thursday, July 26, 2007
Fire guts 65 homes near Oro City Hall
By Danilo V. Adorador III
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- A pre-dawn fire gutted around 65 houses in a riverbank village near the Cagayan de Oro City Hall Wednesday.
No casualty was reported, but the blaze, which started in the boarding house owned by Filipina Redocto, seriously injured a fire volunteer who fell to the pavement after slipping from a wire while conducting rescue operations.
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A number of residents also sustained bruises as they raced through the narrow pathway to flee from the fire.
The blaze, which occurred around 1:30 a.m., left 400 persons sifting through ashes, and damaged nearly one million pesos in properties, said Fire Marshall Oscar Abecia.
Like previous responses to fire incidents, the narrow pathways leading to the fire scene delayed firefighters from immediately positioning their firefighting gears.
Abecia said it took an hour to completely put off the blaze, which directly affected over 80 families who are permanent residents and around 50 renters.
Initial investigation revealed that the blaze started in one of Redocto's renters, identified as Christopher Edulsa, who fire investigators suspect had left one of his appliances turned on overnight.
Edulsa worked for a night establishment as a dance choreographer.
Following the incident, the City Social Welfare and Development immediately conducted relief operations to affected residents.
Aside from properties and appliances, various animals either got burned or died from suffocation. A radio report said surviving animals jumped to the nearby river to escape the fire.
The City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) mobilized its people to bring food and material assistance to fire victims.
Mayor Constantino Jaraula also exhorted all fire victims not to build structures within the affected area until the City Fire Department shall have declared it safe.
The mayor even ordered a thorough assessment and evaluation of real fire victims to ensure that no false claimants would take advantage of the City Government's assistance for fire victims.
Concerned departments are said to be checking and counterchecking the affected families based on the list gathered by CSWDO as against the house mapping data in the area.
Charges will be filed against those filing false claims, Jaraula said.
Vice Mayor Vicente Emano said the City Council will expedite the release of financial assistance to the victims.
As of this writing Wednesday, the CSWDO provided regular meals to the victims and other basic needs like mats, blankets, pillows and kitchen utensils.
According to the Bureau of Fire Protection, the Barangay 26 fire is the 33rd to hit Cagayan de Oro this year with damages inflicted by fires now amounting to more than P3 million. (Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Iloilo. (July 26, 2007 issue)
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