MANILA, Philippines – A fire that broke out late Thursday night in a two-story house in an exclusive subdivision in Quezon City drew a lot of attention after earlier reports referred to the home as belonging to President Macapagal-Arroyo.
Two firemen, Camp Aguinaldo volunteer Danilo Palma and an unidentified member of the Filipino-Chinese volunteers, were injured after a portion of the burning house collapsed on them.
Quezon City Fire District (QCFD) arson investigation unit assistant chief SFO4 Joe Nagtacan said they sustained minor burns and lacerations on the body.
Damage to property was estimated at P1 million.
SFO1 Jaime Biscocho, QCFD radio operator, said there was an anonymous caller who reported the incident at around 11:04 p.m. and said the President’s house was on fire.
The caller requested for an immediate response to the fire inside the La Vista Subdivision in Barangay Pansol.
Biscocho told the Inquirer that he dispatched units to the site, but putting out the fire and preventing it from spreading was the priority. “Confirming the owner of the house was secondary,” he said.
Several firefighting units were immediately sent to the high-end subdivision.
After the blaze was put under control an hour later, the radio operator verified the initial report with Patrol 117.
He was told that the burning house was “just near” the President’s residence.
Biscocho said the fire struck at 12 Ilongot St. in La Vista owned by Faustino and Remedios Gutierrez.
The President’s home is located at 14 Badjao St.
Ilongot and Badjao Streets run parallel to each other, then intersect at some point.
“Hindi pala iyong bahay ni Madam,” (It’s not madam’s house) Biscocho told the Inquirer.
Nagtacan said the blaze started from a bedroom on the second floor.
The blaze was put out at around 12:27 a.m. Friday after it reached the fourth alarm.
“The registered owner of the house (Faustino) has been long dead and only a caretaker, Jose Obial, was staying there,” Nagtacan said, adding they were still trying to determine the cause of the blaze.
