DAVAO CITY – The Davao Region was ravaged by 20 fires in the first week of April alone.
Fire Inspector Nestor Jimenez, division chief of BFP XI, said 19 fire incidents, including the incident, wherein an iconic Davao seafoods eatery was razed, happened from April 1 to 6. The latest fire incident was recorded on Monday at Doña Pilar Village in Sasa.
The eatery, located in Barangay 23-C was burned along with 41 totally-damaged and one partially-damaged house. Jimenez said the fire was caused by “an unattended electric fan that overheated and caused a short circuit.”
The fire razed the homes of 17 renters, 71 borders and 17 sharers.
The BFP has recorded 117 incidents in the month of March alone, Jimenez said. 55 of the 117 incidents are grass fires due to the hot summer weather.
Compared to the same period last year, fire incidents increased by 12 percent while the damage increased by 5 percent, Jimenez said.
“One person was found dead after a grass fire incident but the cause of death has yet to be reported. The person was found in a grassy area after the fire,” said Jimenez.