A fire guts a portion of a residential building in Barangay Datu Saber in Marawi City on Wednesday morning, June 14. Based on the initial report of the Bureau of Fire Protection the cause of the fire was electrical in nature. (Photo by the Marawi City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office)
MARAWI CITY, Philippines — When a fire broke out Wednesday morning at the second floor of an unoccupied building in Barangay Datu Saber, the city had to make do with a single fire truck.
Fire Officer 2 Maria Estrellieta Lara, Chief of the Emergency and Medical Service of the Bureau of Fire Protection in Lanao del Sur said their two other fire trucks were seized by terrorists on May 23.
She lamented their inability to respond effectively because of the lack of firetrucks.
“Aside from responses or fire suppression activities, we also ration water to the brigade and to evacuation centers in Saguiaran town and here at the provincial capitol,” she told Davao Today in an interview.
The other week, Lara said the only fire truck from Malabang town in Lanao del Sur stayed at the capitol for three days after Vice Provincial Governor Mamintal Adiong Jr. requested its service.
The BFP also assists in recovering cadavers sprawled in the streets of the besieged city.
On Wednesday morning, Lara said they received a call from a doctor of Amai Pakpak Medical Center at around 10:55 am to report a fire incident.
Lara said based on their initial investigation the fire was caused by an unattended appliance.
“That street where the fire took place still has electricity, so it is possible that the cause was electrical,” she said.
She said the building was unoccupied. Fire out was declared around 11:40 am. (davaotoday.com)
