Fire gobbles up 60 houses in Ormoc

ORMOC CITY, Philippines—At least 65 families were rendered homeless Friday night when fire destroyed 60 houses in a residential area in Ormoc City, Leyte.

No one was reported hurt but the blaze destroyed at least P10 million worth of property in the affected neighborhood at Mabini Street in the city’s District 4, said SFO1 Roel Wenceslao, Chief of Intelligence and Investigation Division of Ormoc Fire Department.

He said that before the fire broke out at 7 p.m., residents heard an explosion and saw sparks flying from an electric post onto the wooden wall of a house owned by one Dominador Cabibi right next to the post.

The house caught fire, which quickly spread to the neighboring houses.

It took three hours for firefighters to put the blaze under control, said Wenceslao. Most of the houses, he added, were also made of light materials.

The 65 displaced families were temporarily housed at the gymnasium of Barangay Cogon.

Wenceslao said most of the fire victims failed to save any belongings.