Parañaque fire blamed on ‘jumper;’ 20 houses lost

Arson investigators are looking into the possibility that an illegal electrical connection was behind a fire that left around 40 families homeless and caused around P100,000 worth of damage to property in Parañaque on Tuesday night.

Insp. Wilson Tana, the city’s chief arson investigator, said the angle was being considered after Lydia Escare, the owner of the house in  Cul de Sac Compound on Cul de Sac Road, Barangay Sun Valley, Parañaque City, told investigators she smelled what seemed like burning wire in her bedroom minutes before the fire broke out.

“This is an [informal settlers’ area] and jumpers are very common so that is a possibility,” Tana said, adding that they were also looking into electrical overloading and a short-circuit.

At the same time, he clarified that the fire was not deliberately set based on the information Escare gave them.

A report reaching the Parañaque fire department said the blaze, which reached the second alarm, started at 10:13 p.m. and quickly spread to adjacent houses made of light materials, damaging around 20 houses, including Escare’s. None of the residents was reported hurt or killed.

Tana said the fire was put out at 11:59 p.m. since fire trucks were able to reach the affected area with no difficulty.

He added that based on information he received, Cul de Sac Compound was a privately owned property although informal settlers had formed a community there. The compound was hit by fires in 2012 and 2013.