‘Unattended candle’ triggers Cebu City fire

CEBU CITY -A fire hit a thickly populated area in Sitio Avocado Barangay Lahug in Cebu City past 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.

The fire was triggered by unattended lighted candle inside one of the rooms on the second floor of the house owned by Rosemarie Villarin.

Villarin admitted a candle was placed on top of a plastic cabinet.

She said that it has been a year since they lost their electrical connection and had to use candles at nighttime.

Villarin said the fire immediately swept through nearby structures mostly made of light materials.

“It happened so fast that we were unable to even save anything,” she said.

The fire broke out about 6:22 p.m. in the middle portion of an urban poor area located across the barangay hall. It was declared under control at 7:35 p.m.

City Fire Marshal Rogelio Bongabong said narrow interior roads made it difficult for firefighters to penetrate the fire scene. The blaze quickly spread because the houses were built so close to each other, he added.

Fire fighters had to connect their hoses to reach the fire scene, which is a downhill area that leads to the Lahug River.

Acting Cebu City Mayor Edgar Labella said fire victims would be accommodated at the nearby Lahug Elementary School and would be given packed meals by the city government in the next three days.

Labella also called for a meeting with the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council on Sunday morning to assess damage caused by the fire and agree on what to do next.