Fire razes oldest Catholic school in Lucena

LUCENA CITY – The Sacred Heart College, one of the oldest Catholic schools in Lucena City, was burned on Tuesday morning.

Its main building and other edifices inside the sprawling compound located along Merchan Street in Barangay 11 were mostly destroyed.

Local firefighters assisted by colleagues from nearby towns who immediately responded when the fire broke out around 8:30 a.m. were still struggling to put off the fire around 11:00 a.m.

“The wind was so strong that helped cause the quick spread of the fire from building to building,” said Arnel Avila, Lucena public information officer, who was among the first to arrive at the site.

He said he did not see anyone coming out of the buildings when the fire broke out.

A nun from the Daughters of Charity, which was administering the SHC, was spotted crying in front of the school’s main building while it is still burning inside.

“Thank God, no one was hurt,” she told one of the school personnel comforting her.

Rescuers who were searching the compound and the buildings have yet to discover possible casualties.

The nun said the morning Mass held at the school has just ended and the church goers just left the compound when the fire started.

Fire investigators have yet to start their probe on the possible cause of the fire. /ee