Fires raze stores, homes in Capitol Site, Lapu City
TWO fires razed houses and business establishments in barangay Capitol Site, Cebu City and in Lapu-Lapu City yesterday afternoon.
Six houses along with Arbee’s Bakeshop and Josephine’s All Dental Clinic were destroyed while three houses, the Golden Banawa Hardware and Capitol Sari-Sari Store were damaged, FO2 Omar Andrew Segovia said.
Witnesses said the fire started at the back portion of Arbee’s bakeshop at past 5 p.m.
Segovia said they are looking into arson as the possible cause of the fire which they put out at past 8 p.m.
No one was reported hurt. Damages were pegged at more than half a million pesos.
A 46-year-old man named Juanito Potot is detained in the Fuente police precinct after being suspected of causing the fire.
Potot is the step-brother of Dr. Perlita Abrojena, owner of Josephine’s All Dental Clinic.
Potot denied deliberately burning the two-story house owned by Abrojena.
He said he was about to go to the toilet upstairs when the fire broke out from his bedroom.
In a separate interview, Potot’s 34-year-old housemate Joan Zamora said she saw Potot fiddling with a lighter.
Zamora said Potot was previously placed under rehabilitation and attempted to burn their house thrice in the past.
PO2 Clifton Manogura of the Fuente police said Potot will face arson charges.
Earlier, two big houses were razed by a fire that hit barangay lower Matumbo Barangay Pusok near the Mactan Benito Ebuen air base in Lapu-Lapu City yesterday afternoon.
The alarm was received by the Lapu-Lapu City Fire Department at 2:45 p.m. who managed to put it out minutes later.
The fire originated at the ceiling of the second floor of the house owned by Fernando Almenana Sr.
From there it spread to a neighboring house owned by Ruperto Cadampog.
Almenana’s house was half concrete and half is made of light materials while Cadampog’s house was made of light materials.
No one was hurt. FO2 Climaco Salidid said the fire was caused by electrical misuse.
Renters of the second floor of an adjacent apartment threw pails of water to put out the fire.
Fernando was helped outside by his wife Lolita since he had just undergone an operation.
Almenana’s appliances and furniture were destroyed along with two motorcycles owned by Cadampog. Damages were pegged at P110,000. /Rhea Ruth V. Rosell, Reporter with Correspondent Norman V. Mendoza
