Cebu fire razes 34 houses

CEBU CITY, Philippines—A midmorning fire destroyed 34 houses in Toledo City Monday, the local authorities said.

Senior Insp. Randy Mendaros, fire marshal of the Toledo City fire station, said the fire started at an unoccupied house in Sitio Bagong Buhay, Barangay Don Andres Soriano (DAS, formerly Lutopan).

The house was reportedly owned by Rey Alguno, who resides in Cebu City.

Alguno and his relatives just had a reunion in the house on Easter Sunday, leading fire officials to suspect that an electrical device left unplugged on Sunday caused the blaze, according to Mendaros.

“But we are still conducting an investigation. We are also coordinating with the Cebu Electric Cooperative to check the electrical wirings of the house,” Mendaros said.

Although two fire trucks and four water tankers from the nearby Carmen Copper Corp. immediately responded to assist in the firefighting operation, the fire spread quickly to the nearby houses, which were made of light materials, and because the area is densely populated.

Aside from the Toledo City fire station, fire trucks from the towns of Balamban, Pinamungahan, San Fernando, Minglanilla and Naga City also responded to the fire alarm.

No one was reported hurt in the fire which destroyed some P500,000 in property. Displaced residents were temporarily sheltered at the barangay hall.