By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – A firefighter was wounded in a fire that razed eight houses at Purok Malipayon, Barangay 12 here yesterday.
Seven houses were destroyed while another was damaged, according to Chief Inspector Rodel Legaspi, officer-in-charge of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-Bacolod.
Legaspi said they received a call from a traffic enforcer assigned in the area prompting the temporary closure of roads as the smoke was getting bigger making it dangerous for motorists.
Legaspi said the fire broke out around 9:36 a.m. from the two-story boarding house owned by a certain Rudy Agravante.
The fire started at the first floor of the house being rented by a certain Mark Adrian Sanchez, he added.
Legaspi said two children aged 4 and 5 were allegedly playing matchsticks or candle on the bed that probably caused the fire.
He added that the 17-year-old nanny of the two kids was asleep when the incident happened as she was not feeling well.
Legaspi said they had difficulty penetrating the area because of the narrow passage and the houses, which are made of light materials, being too close to each other.
“Dikit gid ang mga panimalay, tapos kusog ang hangin amo na grabe ang aso,” he added.
Despite such difficulty, Legaspi said their firefighters were equipped with self contained breathing apparatus. “Laban gid to two-storey structures made of mixed concrete and light materials, amo na kinanlan gid suhuton to ensure na wala na bilin na occupants,” he added.
The thick black smoke even reached the public plaza and portion of the downtown area, as well as the adjacent Police Station 1, prompting policemen to transfer 41 detainees to their administrative building for an hour.
The detainees were safe and were brought back to the custodial facility after they were checked by the medic.
Legaspi said that the wounded fireman sustained a laceration in his palm while responding to the fire.
The fire initially damaged an estimated P100,000 in properties, the city fire marshal said.
The BFP declared fire out around 12:05 p.m.
Legaspi said they could not tell yet if there were commercial establishments included in the fire, as some houses were being used as eatery, bakery, and shops.
The recent incident came two weeks after the biggest fire reported last month that hit Barangay Singcang-Airport, destroying more than 50 houses.
As this developed, Barangay Captain JR Alcantara, said the fire victims will be temporarily sheltered at the barangay hall.
Meanwhile, Mayor Evelio Leonardia and Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran visited the fire scene to check the situation and the affected households.
Leonardia, in a media interview, said that the city has already prepared food packs for the fire victims.
He also assured them of immediate assistance from the city government. “We will give them full support,” the mayor added.
On the other hand, Legaspi said that it was the first fire incident recorded this month.
He reminded the public to always check their electrical connections at home and never leave their children alone at home.
“During summertime, mainit kaayo ang panahon and ma observe ta man kung hapon grabe madlos sang hangin, amo na contributory factor,” he said.
