THE Bacolod City Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) is still conducting a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the fire that hit 13 houses and one storage facility in Barangay Banago, Bacolod City around 6:45 p.m. Thursday, November 24, 2022.
City Fire Marshal Chief Inspector Rodel Legaspi said Friday, November 25, that there were no injuries nor casualties during the blaze that lasted for almost an hour.
Initial investigation showed that the fire started from the house of Jerry Villamor and immediately spread to other houses which are also made of light materials.
Legaspi said the blaze destroyed a fishing storage facility as well as nine houses while four others were damaged.
About P75,000 worth of properties were turned into ashes, he said.
He added they had difficulty penetrating the area because of the narrow pathways which needed them to pull and connect the water hose to reach the fire-hit houses.
The fire marshal said they were informed that before the incident, Villamor was cooking using wood although they are still validating whether that caused the fire.
As of Friday, the list shows that nine families were affected or a total of 28 persons.
The affected families were temporarily sheltered at the Multipurpose Center of Purok Mahimulaton.
For his part, Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez visited the fire-hit area on Thursday evening and turned over assistance to the affected families.
The City Government provided folding beds and food.
The Department of Social Services and Development along with the City Health Office were also assessing and monitoring the health status of the affected residents.