A TOTAL of 50 houses were gutted when a massive fire hit Purok 5, Saypon, Toril, Davao City on March 31.

Senior Fire Officer 2 Ramil Gillado, chief investigation officer of Bureau of Fire and Protection (BFP) Davao, said the fire started at the residence of a certain Winnie Villamor at around 11 p.m. of March 31 and was declared fire out at 12:55 a.m. of April 1.

No casualties were reported. Damage to properties was estimated at P375,000.

During investigation, it was found that the fire was caused by an unattended lighted candle. The occupants of the house where the fire broke out did not have electricity.

Because of the number of houses involved, the incident was elevated to second alarm status.

Based on BFP Davao records, a total of 64 fire incidents were reported in March, which is Fire Prevention Month.

Authorities have been reminding the public to be fire safety conscious. (Juliet C. Revita)