Fire razes house in Lapu-Lapu

An overheated television caused a fire in barangay Pajac, Lapu-Lapu City where a two-story house was razed yesterday afternoon.

The fire in Villa Maria Townhouse Phase 2 broke out at 3:30 p.m. It was put out at 4:30 p.m.

The house is owned by Cora Quer, who is currently on vacation in Japan.

Christina Barcial, the house caretaker, her brother JR also stays in the house but she wasn’t sure if he was inside the house when the fire broke out.

Barcial said she heard the sound of the television when she saw a thick smoke on the second floor of the house.

Barcial alerted her neighbors before she tried to put out the fire.

Barcial said the main door of the house was locked, forcing her to climb the terrace.

The caretaker tried to douse the flames with pails of water but the fire grew bigger.

The fire had started spreading to the house of Barcial’s aunt when firefighters arrived and helped contain the fire.

SFO1 Atelano Berido, arson investigator, said the television was still plugged on the second floor of the house when they arrived.

No one was injured in the incident. Damage was pegged at P50,000.

In Cebu City, an establishment selling rice was damaged by fire yesterday afternoon.

Electrical misuse may have been the cause of the fire in barangay San Nicolas, FO3 Emeliano Daño of the Cebu City Fire Department said.

The fire started at 1:58 p.m. and was contained in five minutes.

Daño said they were still investigating the extent of the damage.

The two-story building in C. Padilla Street is owned by Harold Go, Daño said.

Daño said the firefighters were able to quickly put out the fire since it was located by the road./WITH CORRESPONDENT CHITO O. ARAGON