2 blazes hit Mandaue City

TWO fires struck Mandaue City in the last two days, destroying 11 houses and a junkyard.

The first incident occurred last Sunday dawn in Purok Ilang-Ilang, Barangay Opao. SFO1 Cipriano Codilla of the Bureau of Fire ProtectionMandaue City said the blaze started in the house of Bernardo Alicante.

The fire, which woke up residents around 4 a.m., reportedly came from a lighted mosquito coil.

Fire investigators said there was no electricity in the house of Alicante, but the family lights a mosquito coil before going to bed.

The mosquito coil may have fallen over and started the fire, which gutted Alicante’s house and 10 others. The fire also damaged one house. Most of the houses were made of light materials.

The cost of damage was estimated to reach P120,000.

Yesterday, a fire destroyed a junkyard owned by the Treasure Island Industrial Corp. in Barangay Tingub. The BFP Mandaue received the fire alarm at 2:07 p.m.

Codilla said the junkyard contained sawdust, which may have caught fire because of the extreme heat or a lit cigarette thrown in the area.

Last month, the BFP Mandaue responded to 16 fire incidents, but these were mostly grass fires. Only three fire incidents involved structures.

The country observed the Fire Prevention Month last month. In Mandaue City, the BFP organized a “Fire Olympics,” where barangay fire volunteers demonstrated their skills to respond to a fire.

The BFP Mandaue recently received a modern fire truck from the Department of the Interior and Local Government.