A FIRE hit Sitio Filtro, Barangay Tisa, Cebu City on Monday, March 23, 2026, prompting the barangay council to convene a special session to declare a state of calamity.
Initial reports indicated that the blaze, believed to have started from an electrical issue at one of the houses in the area, quickly spread to nearby houses, affecting around 148 families or 509 individuals. Of these, 25 were sharers and six were renters.
A resident named Mariel, who lived in the household where the fire started, said they were cooking lunch on the ground floor when her three-year-old child suddenly ran downstairs. Moments later, thick black smoke began billowing from the upper floor of their house.
They immediately evacuated, but the fire rapidly spread due to the light materials used in their home.
Citing data from the Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS), barangay Gender and Development spokesperson Jenny Nudalo said 127 houses were affected. Of these, 112 were destroyed, while the rest sustained partial damage.
Displaced residents are temporarily housed at the Tisa National High School, where they will stay for three days while an evacuation site is being prepared in Tisa 1.
The Cebu City Government has provided food assistance expected to last for three days.
Barangay Captain Bernardo “Ada” Lapiña Jr. said this was the second major fire to hit the area, the first occurring in 2012. He noted that some residents have yet to fully recover from that incident.
Lapiña is now coordinating with homeowners on possible reblocking measures to improve fire truck access in the densely populated community and reduce future fire risks.
Responders from the Tisa Fire Brigade were among the first on the scene, along with barangay officials and emergency teams, who assisted victims and administered first aid to those with minor injuries.
At least two individuals were injured. A 66-year-old woman sustained a foot injury, while a man suffered burns on his back and arm while attempting to salvage belongings. No fatalities were reported and the injuries were described as minor.
Incident
Cebu City Fire Office spokesman Wendell Villanueva said the fire alarm was received at around 11:35 a.m. The first fire truck from Barangay Tisa arrived at approximately 11:41 a.m., prompting authorities to raise the alert to first alarm.
The fire was raised to second alarm at 11:53 a.m. and was declared under control more than four hours later, at around 4 p.m.
Not less than 20 fire trucks responded. Firefighters encountered difficulties due to narrow pathways and challenging terrain, forcing them to connect multiple hoses to reach the affected area.
Villanueva said the investigation is ongoing to determine the total damage and the exact cause of the fire. / AYB, CAV