Valentine’s Day fire destroys 37 houses

It was a sad day of the hearts for over 70 families yesterday as their houses were destroyed in a fire in Dimasalang St., Barangay Pahina Central, Cebu City.

The fire affected 37 houses, which destroyed 35 and partially damaged the remaining two, leaving an estimate damage of P6,075,000.

Senior Fire Officer 2 Wendell Villanueva, information officer of the Cebu City Fire Station (CCFS), said that the alarm was received at 12:39 noon and was immediately raised to the second alarm upon the arrival of their team due to the intensity of the fire.

This prompted the rest of the fire stations in Cebu City to respond and proceed to the fire scene.

After over 30 minutes, the firefighters were able to penetrate the fire and tagged it under control at 1:25 p.m. before it was declared fire out at 1:55 p.m.

Around 70 families or 120 individuals were affected by the fire.

According to the CCFO investigation, the fire started at the JYC Building, whose lot is owned by the nearby Cebu Eastern College (CEC), before it razed the nearby structures.

Villanueva admitted that the narrow road going to the fire scene was a challenge for them since their fire trucks could not enter the area easily.

There were no injuries or fatalities recorded in the incident, while the CCFO is still investigating the cause of the alarm.

Just weeks before the start of Fire Prevention Month in March, Villanueva cited that as of yesterday, they have responded to at least 20 fire incidents.

He further asked the public to be careful to avoid any fire incidents, especially since the weather is becoming hot. -