A fire razed eight houses and damaged seven others in barangay Nangka, Consolacion town, northern Cebu yesterday.
Investigators said the fire started at the house of Rodolfo Rios in sitio Purok I.
Rios was attending a funeral and only his grandchildren were at home when the fire broke out at 1:48 p.m.
The fire was contained 15 minutes after it was reported.
Initial reports that there were children playing with matches before the fire broke out are still being investigated, said SFO1 Renator Lacang of the Consolacion fire station.
The fire spread quickly, as most of the houses in the area were made of light materials, said Lacang.
Firemen had difficulty penetrating the fire scene because of the narrow roads.
Fire trucks from the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation (ERUF), Mandaue City and Liloan town responded to the alarm.
Rios will be invited for questioning to find out what caused the fire.
No one was injured in the incident.
Barangay officials were expected to provide temporary shelters and food assistance to the fire victims, said Lacang./WITH REPORTER ADOR S. MAYOL