House of ex-jail exec razed in Cebu

CEBU CITY—A double whammy hit the family of a retired jail official in Cebu City.

Five months after Chief Inspector Simplicio Neñiza of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology was killed, fire gobbled his house in Sitio Macro Ville, Barangay Camputhaw, on Saturday night.

Nine other houses went up in smoke during the fire that hit a residential area in Cebu City’s commercial district.

Fire investigators said the fire of still unknown origin started from the house of  Neñiza in Sitio Macro Ville, which was along the access road leading to Cebu Business Park (CBP).

Neñiza was allegedly shot dead by his son, Glen, following an argument inside their house in September last year. The suspect was arrested shortly after the shooting.

Chief Insp. William Tacaldo, Cebu City fire marshal, said witnesses heard an explosion on the ground floor of Neñiza’s house before the fire broke out at 7:32 p.m. and spread to nearby houses, which were made mostly of light materials.

Most of the homeowners in Sitio Macro Ville rented out rooms to students and call center agents.

The fire triggered a bottleneck along Gorordo Avenue after traffic was closed from Colegio dela Immaculada to Asilo dela Milagrosa, a span of about 500 meters, as well as the access road to CBP to allow fire trucks to get into the fire scene.

It also triggered panic among senior citizens who were holding their Valentine’s Day party in a chapel in Sitio Macro Ville. With a report from Doris C. Bongcac, Inquirer Visayas