2 hurt, 24 houses lost in Taguig City fire

Two people were hurt while dozens of families were displaced when a fire engulfed a row of houses in a compound in Barangay (village) Ibayo-Tipas in Taguig City on Sunday night, the second fire to hit the area in two weeks.

The fire started about 11:30 p.m. on J. Ramos Street in Jacobo Compound, fire chief Inspector Jonito Maslang of the Taguig City Fire Station said.

“Initial investigation indicates the fire started at the house of Enrique Santos, 48, a scavenger. It might be from an unattended kerosene lamp or a candle,” he added.

A total of 24 houses and between P800,000 and P1 million worth of property were destroyed as the fire reached the fourth alarm. It was put out about an hour later. The two individuals injured in the incident were Inspector Jim Paler of the Bureau of Fire Protection District 4 headquarters in Pasig and Danilo Timbale, a resident in the area. Both suffered foot injuries.—Nathaniel R. Melican