By Glazyl M. Jopson
BACOLOD CITY – Nineteen homes and 11 old buses were damaged in two separate fire incidents in Bacolod City and Cadiz City, Negros Occidental over the weekend.
A residential fire broke out Saturday night in Talaba-an, Barangay Zone 1, Cadiz City, destroying 16 houses and partially damaging three others.
The fire spread quickly as most houses were made of light materials, according to the Bureau of Fire Protection-Cadiz.
Initial damage was estimated at PHP200,000, with no injuries reported.
Arson investigators are still determining the cause of the fire.
Barangay officials are calling for donations to aid displaced residents.
On Sunday, a 62-year-old employee was injured in a fire at a storage area for junk vehicles owned by One Communities South Hill in Barangay Cabug, Bacolod City.
The fire broke out at 1:52 p.m., according to Fire Officer 2 Rolin Paulan, chief arson investigator of BFP-Bacolod.
The victim reportedly suffered burns on his stomach while attempting to control the fire.
Authorities are verifying whether he received first aid or was brought to a hospital.
Paulan said nine buses were completely destroyed and two were partially damaged.
The vehicles were no longer in use and had been stored in the area.
The fire was traced to arcing caused by electrical ignition, Paulan said.
A roof from a nearby bunkhouse was blown off and struck a service line, causing a live wire to fall onto one of the buses, which then caught fire.
Damage was estimated at PHP20,000.
The fire was declared out at 2:21 p.m.
