AT LEAST 22 houses were razed by fire in Purok San Jose Paho, Barangay Alijis, Bacolod City Sunday morning, August 15, 2021.

No injuries nor casualties were reported.

City Fire Marshal Chief Inspector Rodel Legaspi said the fire started from the second floor of the house owned by Marilyn Encarquez, who was not around during the incident, around 11:47 a.m.

The fire immediately spread to other houses that were made of light and concrete materials.

Legaspi said several fire trucks were dispatched to the area, including fire volunteer trucks.

He said they had difficulty penetrating the area because of the narrow passageways and they needed to pull and connect the water hose to reach the affected area.

The blaze was put out around 12:48 p.m. The fire destroyed P 100,000 worth of properties.

Arson investigators are still conducting further investigation to determine the cause of the fire.

The Bureau of Fire Protection along with the Department of Social Services Development (DSSD) is still finalizing the lists of the affected families in the area.

Alijis Captain Diogracias Dela Vega said they are coordinating with the DSSD to identify the total number of affected families.

He said based on their initial record, a total of 10 houses were destroyed and 12 houses were damaged.

He added they immediately provided food packs to the affected residents and most of them temporarily stayed within their relatives in the area.