FOR Dhave Claver of Barangay Duljo Fatima, Cebu City, the fire that razed his home early morning Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025, didn’t just take away walls and memories. It took away his two best friends — Rushie and Thunder.
Rushie, a six-year-old brown labrador mix, and Thunder, a four-year-old bulldog-aspin, had been Dhave’s loyal companions for years. When flames broke out in their neighborhood at 6 a.m., his uncle tried to free the dogs. But both, frightened by the smoke and noise, ran back inside.
Claver emphasized that the dogs weren’t chained or locked. The dogs just got scared, Claver added as he stared at the ruins of his house.
The Bureau of Fire Protection said the blaze was raised to a first alarm and contained by 7:14 a.m., destroying 11 houses and damaging two others. Two people were injured but are now safe. The estimated damage was P1.19 million.
Only three hours later, another fire broke out in Sitio Bliss, Barangay Labangon, displacing 18 families. Among the victims was 17-year-old Lyka Mae Cezar, who lost her one-year-old Corgi, Elmo.
Cezar said Elmo was trapped in the second floor of their house during the fire. She added that her siblings were able to rescue their other dog, a husky.
Fire investigators are still determining the causes of both fires, though residents said one might have started from an overheated air conditioner and the other from a child playing with a lighter.
Together, the two incidents caused over P1.5 million in damages and left more than 30 families homeless. But for Dhave and Lyka, the loss that hurts most isn’t counted in pesos — it’s the silence that now fills their homes.
“They weren’t just pets,” Lyka whispered. “They were family.” (JDG)