Eid’l Fitr celebration turns into disaster
Eid al-Fitr celebrations in Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur province, turned into a disaster when fire gutted 126 houses amid the revelry on Friday.
Authorities said no one was hurt in the fire that lasted at least three hours in the village of Taglawan. But 150 families lost their homes.
The number of displaced families was expected to rise, said Insp. Paul Jorge Barrozo, Bayugan fire marshal.
The fire spread quickly because, according to Barrozo, the houses were made of light materials and had been built too close to one another.
The cause of the fire, he said, was still being determined although some residents claimed that they heard firecracker explosions before the blaze.
Most residents of the area were traders and some allegedly sold firecrackers to celebrate the end of Ramadan, a time for celebration for Muslims. —Erwin M. Mascariñas
