DAVAO CITY – A team of firefighters from Mati City, Davao Oriental was about to respond in a fire incident when its fire truck lost control along the city’s highway afternoon Tuesday.
Three firefighters died while four others were injured.
Tarragona chief of police Senior Inspector Leonilo Lad confirmed that Fire Officer 1 (FO1) Arnel John Angsinco, and Fire Officer 3 (FO3) Ludivico Ponce died on the spot. Another firefighter who was on job order, Nico Corambao, was brought to the Davao Oriental Provincial Hospital but was declared dead after 30 minutes.
Angsinco was a graduate of social science from University of the Philippines Mindanao.
Angsinco’s Facebook account was flooded with sympathies from former schoolmates and fraternity brothers and sisters from Latagaw-Lamdag Society.
FO3 Premo Jabilles III sustained major injuries, while SFO2 Jessie Guarte, FO3 Reynaldo Barrera, and Fire Senior Inspector Arthur Joseph Arquiza sustained minor injuries.
Based on the initial investigation, the firefighters were on their way to respond to a fire incident in Manay town when the fire truck driven by Barrera lost control and skidded along the curve of Purok Tapul, Brgy. Tomoaong, Tarragona.
Lad said Manay town lacks fire fighters, which was why the team from Mati City Bureau of Fire Protection responded.
Meanwhile, Police Inspector Ramil Rivera, deputy chief of police in Manay said the fire incident in Purok 3, Barangay Central started around 12:45 pm. Authorities declared fire out around 3:23 pm.
Three houses were ravaged by the fire and the damages amounted to an estimate of P 2.3 million, Rivera said.(davaotoday.com)
