A MAN who tried to save his things was wounded after getting hit by the metal nozzle of a firefighter’s hose yesterday in Sitio Sto. Niño 3, Barangay Luz, Cebu City.
Constancio Donal Jr., one of Barangay Luz’s fire volunteers, was wounded in his right leg. He also lost his home.
The fire that hit Luz was one of two reported yesterday, and one of four fires reported in Cebu since last Monday.
Barangay Councilman Boy Guerra said that Donal was warned against going into the fire scene, but he ignored the advice.
“Nalabtikan na hinuon sa (He got hit by the) hose,” Guerra said.
Donal immediately received first aid from volunteers of the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation (Eruf).
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) received the call for help at 1:25 p.m. yesterday and put the flames out some 15 minutes later.
Plenty of damage
Although it was short, the fire razed nine houses and damaged some P700,000 worth of property.
FO3 Antonio Gonzales, the fire investigator, said investigators have yet to find out what caused the fire, but already have an idea as to where it started.
Fire victims will be temporarily housed in Barrio Luz’s barangay hall.
After the fire in Barrio Luz, another fire broke out in Barangay Zapatera at 4:23 p.m. yesterday and razed a storage room owned by Roy Dolino.
Fire investigator Gonzales said the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage have yet to be assessed. He observed that the storage room contained boxes, metal plates, neon lights, batteries and other materials used for Dolino’s business.
Dolino owns the Floureem Sign Depot in Sitio Atis, Barangay Zapatera, which produces signboards.
Dolino, who initially refused to be interviewed by the fire investigators, said he has not been using the storage room for two months.
Gonzales said the fire department may have to send a subpoena to Dolino to get more information about his business and what might have caused the fire.
The fire in Zapatera was put out only two minutes after it broke out.
Before the two fires that occurred yesterday, a fire also occurred last Jan. 11 in Sitio Quintolimbo, Barangay Tisa.
Other fires
The BFP received the call for help at 7:44 p.m. and put out the flames at 9:27 p.m., almost two hours after the fire broke out.
Fire investigator Gonzales said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Four houses were lost, along with an estimated P150,000 worth of properties.
No one was hurt.
Minutes after the fire in Tisa broke out, another fire occurred in Barangay Talisay, Sta. Fe town around 8 p.m.
Fire investigators said that faulty electrical wiring might have caused the blaze, which eventually burned seven houses and a bakery owned by Monette Menchavez.