RESIDENTS of Purok Ube in Barangay Gun-ob, Lapu-Lapu City suspect arson in the fire that gutted some 200 houses in the area and left 188 families homeless late Saturday night, July 13, 2019.
The Lapu-Lapu City Fire District received the fire alarm at 11:55 p.m. Firefighters controlled the blaze at 2:15 a.m. and kept it from spreading to other houses in the neighborhood with the help of their counterparts from neighboring towns and cities.
No death or injuries were reported.
Fire Supt. Crispulo Eusebio Jr., the Lapu-Lapu City fire marshal, said the fire started in the house of Juanito Vaflor and quickly spread to his neighbors’ houses.
Purok Ube is located only a few meters from the fire station but due to the absence of access roads, the firefighters were not able to penetrate the interior area.
Eusebio said not one fire truck was able to go near the fire site.
To reach the burning houses, the firefighters bore a hole into the concrete fence of Hoops Dome and inserted the hose through the hole to be able to put out the fire.
Eusebio said 30 hoses had to be connected to reach the fire site.
Firefighters also had difficulty climbing over the fence because of the barbed wire on top.
“The fire quickly spread because the houses were made of light materials, mostly wood and GI sheets,” Eusebio said. Damage was pegged at P500,000.
The fire official said they have yet to determine the cause of the blaze. As of Sunday, July 14, all they gathered from the residents was that Vaflor’s house suddenly caught fire.
But some residents believe a man set Vaflor’s house on fire on purpose.
The man was reportedly seen carrying three plastic bags containing gasoline in Purok Ube before the fire started. (SunStar Cebu is withholding the name of the man pending investigation.)
The man reportedly had an argument with one of the residents identified as Deborah, who is said to be the daughter-in-law of Vaflor.
He reportedly threatened to burn Deborah’s house.
Fredilito Miao, one of the neighbors, said the argument stemmed from a joke that upset the man.
Another neighbor, Orlita Payusan, alleged that shortly before the fire, she encountered the man with the bags of gasoline and a piece of rubber, who later asked her: “Dili mo motan-awg show nga sunog (Do you want to witness a fire)?”
The next thing they saw, Vaflor’s house was already on fire and the man was seen fleeing the area with a large bag.
At City Hall, social welfare officer Jesus Marcus Antonius said 688 individuals were affected by the fire based on their records.
The survivors are temporarily staying at the fire station grounds while some are in Hoops Dome.
Aside from food and water, the families need hygiene kits, utensils and cooking supplies. (GCM OF SUPERBALITA CEBU/ LRC / WITH MEIRA CLAIRE JAMISOLA, CNU INTERN)