1 injured, 60 homes razed in Davao City fire

DAVAO. Residents splash water from the sea towards a burning house at Purok 2, Barangay 76A Mabini Boulevard, Davao City in a spot where fire fighters did not reach. (Macky Lim)
DAVAO. Residents splash water from the sea towards a burning house at Purok 2, Barangay 76A Mabini Boulevard, Davao City in a spot where fire fighters did not reach. (Macky Lim)

BENITA Bingot, 46, one of the displaced residents, was not able to save a single property after the massive fire struck a coastal area in Purok 2, Barangay 76-A, Mabini, Davao City.

She said that they were only sleeping and taking their rest when they smell a smoke coming from a house near them. They began to hear people from the neighborhood shouting “sunog!” (Fire).

Due to panic, she gathered her five children and five grandchildren to secure their safety. She no longer cared about their house.

After evacuating the place, the fire was quick to engulf their house, which was made of light materials. Bingot said she has been living in the affected area for about two decades already.

They temporarily stayed in a chapel near them and plans to put up a makeshift house where their house erected for them to stay after the clearing will be done.

Davao City Social Welfare and Development Council (CSSDO) has provided relief assistance to the fire victims.

As of 3 p.m. Thursday, August 9, the listing of the victims is still ongoing. The victims will receive cash assistance from the city.

The owners of those houses that were totally damaged will get P10,000 while P5,000 will be given to owners of partially damaged house. The renters will likewise receive P5,000 while sharers and boarders will have P2,000 financial assistance.

In an interview with Senior Fire Officer (SFO2) Felix Amistad, officer-in-charge of fire station said the probable cause of the incident, based on the statement where the fire started, is an overheated electric fan.

As of 3 p.m., firefighters were still conducting overhauling operation to totally extinguish the fire. The challenge on their part is the location of the affected area, which is near the sea.

Due to the narrow streets, the fire trucks were unable to penetrate. Thus, they only connected several hoses until it reached ground zero.

Amistad said there were no casualties but one was wounded. The victim was identified as Darwin Namoc, who sustained first degree burn while attempting to evacuate.

Based on the official report coming from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-Davao Region officer-in-charge of the Intelligence and Investigation Section Officer 2 (SFO2) Ramil Gillado, the fire started around 12:10 p.m.

Due to the extent of the fire incident, the alarm status was raised to third alarm. Several fire units responded including the S.I.R., Bangoy, Central, Lanang, 911 fire auxiliary, Davao Volunteer Fire Brigade, Filipino Chinese Firefighters Foundation and Barangay 19.

The point of origin was at the house of a certain Lovely Toto. The fire investigators initially estimated P630,000 worth in damages. There were around 60 houses that were affected. The fire was put under control around 1:27 p.m.

As of 5:30 a.m. Thursday, August 9 Gillado added that the validation of the CSSDO is still ongoing and they are yet to determine the final number of totally and partially damage houses.

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