ANOTHER fire. This time, around a hundred houses razed to the ground in densely populated Purok 6, Litsonan in Pag-asa, Bankerohan.
Fire investigators still have to determine the cause of the fire and can only say that it started in the house of one Labra family because of the intense heat of the day and the proximity of the houses to each other.
But the more disturbing detail in the news is that there was no water in the fire hydrant in the area.
Under the Fire Code of the Philippines, it is required that all reservoir or water tanks must provide a 20 percent fire reserve over and above the Average Daily Demand Supply (ADDS).
It adds, "In communities where no public water supply is available, a water well or any other devices with water impounding capability shall be provided."
While it is not stated succinctly in the Fire Code, Section 10.7.7.1 is saying, there must be water to fight fire with.
The area has been experiencing water service interruption for the past two days. Residents say they'd only get water from their faucets at night. Thus, during the day, it is assumed that the residents have sucked up all supply, including that in the hydrant.
It's something that can be attributed to Murphy's Law: where a major fire that reached Alert Level Task Force Alpha will happen in a place that has consumed all its reserved water. But it's something that should not be brushed off just like that.
And reading up on the Fire Code of the Philippines, it is telling us that it should not be like that.
Fire hydrants are important components of our communities, especially in populated areas where fetching water may be stalled by traffic and other road obstruction.
Fire hydrants may not be among our concerns, but maybe this fire is telling is: it should be a community concern and being that, it should be a concern of the barangay, especially in densely populated areas where time is of great essence during emergency situations like a fire.