DAVAO CITY – Three children were reported missing while at least 50 families or 135 persons were displaced after a huge fire gutted down at least 25 houses in Sitio Sampaloc, Barangay Santo Niño, Mati City Friday.
Initial data of the Davao Oriental Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said the fire started at about 11:30 p.m. Friday and was still active up until 2 a.m. yesterday.
Reports on the three missing children are still being verified, according to Public Information Office of the Provincial Government of Davao Oriental, adding that government authorities are exhausting all efforts and resources to find the children and help the affected families.
Members of the Mati City and Davao Oriental PDRRMC, along with the Bureau of Fire Protection, Provincial Engineering Office, Peemart volunteers, police, and military are among who responded to the incident.
City officials led by Mayor Carlo Rabat and personalities from the provincial government are already coordinating on the situation and facilitating interventions.
Fire trucks from Lupon and San Isidro both in Davao Oriental augmented fire trucks in Mati City to help control the fire.
Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the fire while an evacuation center in Barangay Central in Mati City is being prepared to house the affected families.
Meanwhile, 113 families or 764 persons were rendered homeless after a fire gutted at least 70 residential houses in Barangay Victory Village, Legazpi City Friday.
SFO4 Aramis Balde, Bureau of Fire Protection Bicol spokesperson, said that the fire started around 2:43 p.m. due to short circuit of service drop wire at the residential house owned by Rosemarie Barbacano.
According to Balde, the fire reached general alarm and declared fire out around 4:07 p.m.
Nobody was killed but minor injuries were recorded during the fire. (Ivy Tejano and Nino Luces)
