11 dogs perish in fire

Personnel of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) inspect the bedroom of a three-storey building on Tindalo Street, Barangay Villamonte, Bacolod City where a fire erupted and killed 11 dogs Thursday. (Photo courtesy of BFP-Bacolod)

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – Eleven Shih Tzu dogs, including their puppies, died in a fire that occurred in a three-storey building on Tindalo Street in Barangay Villamonte here last Thursday.

Chief Inspector Rodel Legaspi, city fire marshal, said the house owners were downstairs when the fire broke out past 11 a.m.

Legaspi said the fire damaged one bedroom and did not affect the other parts of the building which was made of concrete materials.

Some of the dogs were inside a cage when the blaze occurred, Legaspi said.

Legaspi said the house owners told arson investigators that their son failed to unplug a water heater from a defective outlet.

“May problema na nga daan sa line ka kuryente sa ila outlet a few days ago, nalipatan daw ka bata iunplug ang water heater,” he added.

The second and third floors of the building are the residential areas, while the ground floor was utilized as a mercantile shop, he said.

The fire was quelled around 12:10 p.m., with no injuries reported.

Legaspi said the blaze gobbled an estimated P100,000 worth of properties.