A FIRE damaged the choir area of the Holy Family Parish in Barangay Maguikay, Mandaue City, Monday night, July 13, 2026, but it was immediately contained, preventing the fire from spreading to other parts of the church.
Fire Officer 1 (FO1) Arjim Mendaros, public information officer of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-Mandaue City Fire Station, said the fire was immediately reported around 8 p.m. at the height of a heavy downpour.
The incident was raised to a first alarm, prompting firefighters to immediately respond.
“Ang nasunog is didto dapit sa may altar. Nitawag sila mga alas 8 sa gabie. Sa initial investigation, ang nakita man gud is ang mga stand sa sound system nga dapit sa altar,” Mendaros said.
(The area that caught fire was near the altar. They called us at around 8 p.m. Based on our initial investigation, the area affected was where the sound system stands were located, near the altar)
Mendaros said there was no Mass or church service at the time of the incident, and no one was inside the church when the fire started.
He added that parish personnel noticed the fire and immediately alerted authorities.
“Walay misa ug walay service ato nga time. Wala na juy tawo didto sulod sa simbahan. May gani kay nabantayan ra dayon. Mismo ang taga-simbahan ang nakabantay ug sila mismo ang nanawag namo,” he said.
(There was no Mass or church service at that time, and no one was inside the church. Fortunately, the fire was noticed immediately. It was the church personnel themselves who spotted the fire and called us)
The fire was extinguished in less than an hour, with damage limited to the choir area near the altar.
“Wala ra naabti ug oras. Napawng ra dayon ang sunog. Wala sad kaayo naigo ang simbahan, ang kato ra nga part dapit sa altar diin nahimutang ang choir area,” Mendaros said.
(The fire was extinguished in less than an hour. The church itself was not extensively damaged; only the area near the altar where the choir section is located was affected)
As of Tuesday afternoon, July 14, BFP investigators were still examining the scene to determine the cause of the fire and assess the extent of the damage.
While the investigation is ongoing, Mendaros said authorities are looking into the possibility of an electrical malfunction involving the church’s sound system.
“Ongoing pa ang pag-investigate sa among mga investigator. Possible nga electrical kay tua man dapit sa sound system, basin naay wala maibot (Our investigators are still conducting their investigation. A possible cause is electrical, since it was near the sound system. It is possible that something was left unplugged),” he said.
In a public advisory posted after the incident, Holy Family Parish said the old image of the Holy Family located near the affected area was not damaged and thanked firefighters and volunteers whose quick response helped prevent further destruction. (ABC/Gwenyth Borgonia, UV intern)