CEBU CITY – Almost 300 houses were destroyed in a fire that broke out in a densely populated area in Barangay Suba here Wednesday.
Arson probers said P1.5 million in properties were lost in the fire, which started around 7 p.m. and firefighters took almost two hours to contain.
Senior Fire Officer 1 Novo Erana said the fire destroyed 259 houses and displaced 603 families.
No one was hurt in the incident.
Faulty electrical wiring was suspected to be the cause of the fire, which started on the second floor of a house owned by Jerry Cabido, said Erana.
The fire spread quickly since most of the houses in the area were made of light materials.
The fire alarm was raised to Task Force Bravo at 8:12 p.m. The fire was declared under control at 8:53 p.m.
City Administrator Floro Casas visited the fire victims yesterday to check what assistance the city could provide.
The fire victims took temporary shelter in two sports gymnasiums in the barangay. (Calvin D. Cordova)