ABOUT 300 houses were destroyed by the fire that broke out below the first Mactan-Mandaue Bridge in Barangay Looc, Mandaue City on Tuesday, March 12, 2024.
Senior Fire Inspector Leo Andicoy of the Bureau of Fire Mandaue Office (BFP-Mandaue), who leads the investigation, stated that the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
According to Andicoy, the fire was reported at 12:08 p.m. and raised to the third alarm at 12:22 p.m.
It was placed under control at 12:42 p.m. and completely put out by 2:16 p.m.
Andicoy calculated that the fire resulted in around P1.215 million in initial damages.
The Mandaue City Social Welfare Services (CSWS) has reported that as of 3:40 p.m., around 230 families or 721 individuals have been affected by the fire and evacuated to the Looc Gymnasium.
Out of these 230 families, 198 were homeowners and 32 were renters.
In a separate interview, Mandaue Vice Mayor Glenn Bercede announced that they will be opening 20 rooms at the Cesar Cabahug Elementary School, located next to the Looc Gymnasium, to accommodate the victims of the fire and provide them food and other necessities.
Looc Barangay Captain Raul Cabahug is urging the public for in-kind donations to help the victims. (HIC)