A NEGLECTED candle has been eyed as the cause behind the blaze that hit four houses at Punta Magsungay, Purok 6, Barangay Singcang-Airport, Bacolod City on Thursday evening, February 23.

No casualties were reported.

City Fire Marshal Chief Inspector Rodel Legaspi said the fire started at the house owned by Dennis Louie Herrera at about 9:45 p.m.

He said the fire immediately spread to three other houses owned by Melody Laurencio, Carmelita Bornea, and Roslyn Dohaylo, which are all made of light materials, adding that the initial cause of the fire was an unattended lighted candle in the house of Herrera.

The fire was put out at about 10:05 p.m., and it destroyed at least P15,000 worth of properties.

Legaspi said the fire reached first alarm status and all their fire trucks were dispatched to the area, including the fire volunteer trucks.

He said they had difficulty penetrating the area because of the narrow passageways, and they needed to pull and connect at least 11 water hoses to reach the fire-hit houses.

Legaspi reminded the public not to leave any lighted candle or lamp unattended and to always check the electrical connection before leaving the house. If an appliance smokes or has an unusual smell, unplug it immediately and have it repaired.