Fire sweeps through impoverished Davao City village, destroys 150 houses

DAVAO CITY — A two-hour fire swept through an urban poor community here on Friday (Aug. 16) destroying at least 150 houses.

The Bureau of Fire Protection said the fire broke out around 11:20 a.m. on the second floor of a house owned by couple Layla and King Elasio in the coastal village of 23-C Isla Verde.

It spread quickly to two smaller communities, consuming more houses there.

Authorities reported no casualties or injuries but fire victims lost everything and were unable to save any of fheir valuables.

One of them was Hamar Mosadi, from Sarangani province, who rushed home to recover belongings only to watch helplessly as his house went up in flames.

Houses in the area are built nearly touching each other and connected by wooden foot bridges that helped spread the fire. The blaze crept close to a police station which was doused with water as a preventive measure./tsb