Firemen air warning on LPG-refilled canisters

CEBU CITY—Fire officials have warned the public against using butane canisters refilled with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for cooking following a fire that left 134 people homeless in Cordova town, Cebu province.

SFO4 Mario Randy Cuizon, investigator of the Cordova Fire Department, said a butane canister exploded and caused the fire that razed 31 houses in Sitio Germelina, Barangay (village) Cogon, in Cordova on Friday night.

Gregorio Baguio was then cooking dinner at the house of his brother, Junrey. He had serious burns and is confined in the hospital while Junrey, who rushed to help him, had minor burns.

Butane canisters refilled with LPG are popular, especially among poor families, because these are cheaper compared with regular LPG tanks. A canister costs P10 per refill and may last two to three days, while an 11-kilogram tank costs P800 per refill.

Cuizon said the public should realize that the use of butane canisters could be dangerous and prone to explosion. LPG tanks made of thick metal are safer, he said. Jhunnex Napallacan, Inquirer Visayas