P800-K damaged in fire

AROUND P800,000 worth of properties were damaged as fire razed residential houses in Marang Street, Barangay Aquino Davao City during New Year’s eve.

According to Bureau of Fire Protection Regional Director Rico Kwan Tiu, as of 5 p.m. yesterday they have already identified the point of origin but not the cause of the fire.

Davao City Social Services and Development Office Disaster Focal Luz Farañal said that the initial master list made last January 1 bared that a total of 51 house owners, 25 renters, 25 sharers, 22 boarders and one caretaker were affected by the fire.

“Kato siya’ng initial pero naay posibilidad na magamyan or madagdagan (That was the initial, there is a possibility that there will be more or less),” she said.

Based on the report from Sta. Ana Police Station, the fire took place at around 12:15 am.

Initial investigation revealed that a witness, identified as Jay Santillan, said at about 12 midnight of January 1, while he was inside his room he noticed a black smoke coming from a house made of “amakan” or bamboo matting, owned by certain alias “Bordado”, which was two meters away from his room.

Santillan said that he smelled something like rubber being burnt and as he saw that the smoke turn into fire, he immediately informed the owner who was accordingly unaware of the situation.

The report said that they tried to control the fire using a pail of water but it spread to another area.

The fire lasted for three hours before it was declared fire out by the

Bureau of Fire Protection.

Based on reports, Special Assistant to the President Christopher Bong Go and acting mayor Mabel Sunga-Acosta went to the area to give food packs to fire victims.

The families are now staying at Alexian Brothers, which is located in the street across their burnt houses.