A 20-YEAR-OLD man died in a blaze that hit Sitio Abbia in Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, 2019.
Authorities identified the fatality as Roberto Lucero, who had been renting one of the houses before the fire incident happened.
In Mandaue City, three fire incidents happened on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, destroying properties worth P711,000.
In the Mambaling blaze, Lucero’s burnt remains were discovered past 6 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 25. His relatives identified him through stitch marks on his mouth.
The Cebu City Fire Department received the alarm at 12 a.m. Firefighters prevented the blaze from destroying other houses in the village at 1:04 a.m.
The fire reportedly started on the third floor of the house owned by a certain Inday, according to her neighbor Victoriano Laborte.
SFO2 Emerson Arseo, investigator, said he has yet to determine the cause of the blaze.
As Abbia is located in the interior portion of Mambaling, Arseo said his fellow firefighters had had a difficult time in putting out the fire.
A few hours before the Mambaling fire incident, a blaze hit a house owned by Boy Herra in Sitio Hala-Hala, Barangay Suba. Fire volunteers quickly put out the flames.
Herra’s grandchildren had reportedly been playing with a lighter before the blaze happened.
At 9:35 a.m. on Tuesday, a fire damaged the office of Justino Corp., a one-story building in Barangay Banilad, Mandaue City. Later in the afternoon, at 3:30 p.m., a portion of Procycle Enterprise building was damaged by fire in Barangay Tingub.
Justino Corp. and Procycle Enterprise sustained damage worth P9,000 and P42,000, respectively.
At 9:32 p.m., a fire hit Prince Warehouse in Barangay Alang-alang, causing damage worth P660,000.
Based on the Mandaue City Fire Station report, the blaze started in the information technology office. Firefighters put out the fire at 11:24 p.m., 36 minutes before Christmas Day.
No one was hurt in the incident. (BBT, ANV, KFD / KAL )