CEBU CITY – At least 100 houses were destroyed in a fire that struck a residential area in Barangay Camputhaw here shortly before noon Wednesday.
The fire affected at least 1,000 individuals while at least P1 million worth of property was damaged, said Camputhaw Barangay Captain Jessica Cadungog.
Chief Insp. Noel Nelson Ababon said the cause of fire is still under investigation.
“We are receiving conflicting reports as to the cause of fire and where the fire started. That’s why we will be calling witnesses to find out what really happened,” said Ababon, fire marshal of the Cebu City Fire Department.
Fire investigators were still checking if there were casualties in the incident as of posting time.
The fire department received the fire alarm at 10:20 a.m. It was at 11:15 a.m. when the fire was put under control.
The fire broke out near an area where 188 houses were destroyed by fire last Aug. 4.
Like in the previous incident, firefighters had a hard time penetrating the fire site because of narrow roads.
Firefighters had to connect several hoses to reach the fire scene, which was located several meters from the main road.
“There had been several fires here and containing the fire had been a problem because of congestion. It is high time to re-block this area because for sure, this is not going to be the last time that an incident like this will happen,” said Nagiel Bañacia, chief of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management.
After the fire last August, there was a plan to conduct re-blocking in the area but some residents opposed, Banacia said. (Calvin D. Cordova)