Mandaue fire razes 2 houses

Two houses were razed and three others were damaged in a fire that struck barangay Subangdaku, Mandaue City yesterday dawn.

The fire damaged P300,000 worth of property, said SFO1 Cipriano Codilla.

Codilla said faulty electrical wiring may have caused the fire.

The fire started in the second floor of the house owned by couple Virgilio and Anita Rodriguez, Codilla said.

The couple was not around when the Cebu Daily News visited fire scene.

Neighbors said the Rodriguez couple checked in at a hotel after the fire.

Firefighters received the alarm at 4:57 a.m. The fire was contained at 6:44 a.m.

While waiting for firefighters to arrive, residents tried to put out the fire but the fire grew bigger until it spread to neighboring houses.

The fire alarm was raised to Task Force Alpha before it was put out.

Nene Dusaban, the caregiver of Anita’s sister, Concepcion Colina, told CDN that the Rodriguez couple managed to get of out of their burning house but failed to save any valuables.

When the fire broke out, Dusaban said they helped secure Colina who wears a prosthetic leg.

Barangay officials distributed relief goods to the fire victims.

A separate fire damaged a drug rehabilitation center in barangay Lahug, Cebu City Friday night.

The fire started in one of the rooms on the second floor of the We Do Recover building.

According to security guard Eddie Algora, he went to the second floor after he smelled  burnt plastic.

Algora said one of the rooms was already on fire when he went to check.

The guard tried  to contain the fire using a fire extinguisher but failed.

SFO4 Jovito Abelgas, deputy chief for operation of the Cebu City Fire Station, said the fire was contained in 10 minutes.

Abelgas said electrical short circuit may have triggered the fire.

Damage was pegged at P200,000./CORRESPONDENTS MICHELLE JOY L. PADAYHAG, APPLE MAE M.  TA-AS, NORMAN V. MENDOZA AND CHITO O. ARAGON