DAVAO CITY, Philippines – About 150 houses Friday were razed by a huge fire, Friday noon, at Brgy 23-C Isla Verde, an urban poor community in a coastal area here.
Based on the report of the Central Fire Station of Davao Region, the fire broke out from the 2nd floor of a house owned by couple Layla and King Elasio at around 11:20 in the morning.
The houses damaged are specifically at the Purok 2 and 3 of the said barangay.
The fire reached up to the 4th alarm and lasted about two hours. It was under control at 1:37 in the afternoon.
There were no reported injuries or casualties according to the SFO3 Ramil Gillado, Chief of the Investigation and Intelligence Section of the Davao City Fire District. But some of the residents have not recovered even a single item because of the fire.
“I was at work when I heard about the fire. I rushed home but it was too late. All of our items, including important documents, were already burned to ashes,” HamarMosadi, 25, a worker in a commercial establishment about a hundred meters away from the area, said.
According to him, he and his wife have nowhere to go to after the fire because they are from the Sarangani province and are just in the city renting for their jobs.
“We rented the place just two months ago because we relocated here from the province to look for a job. We have nowhere to go now but maybe we can find another place to rent,” he said.
The houses in the coastal area are closely built and are connected by a wooden footbridge which easily caught fire.
“I tried to save our things but the wooden bridge that connects to our rented house was already down,” Mosadi added.
The fire almost reached the Sta. Ana Police Station which is only a few meters away from the burnt houses.
“No damage was recorded in the said police station. We even stationed the fire trucks in front of the police station,” said Gillado.
To prevent the fire from reaching the police station, firefighters also sprayed water on it so that it will not catch sparks.
Estimated damages reached to P 2,625,000.00.
Gillado said they are still investigating the cause of the fire as of press time. (davaotoday.com)
