Fire guts 15 houses, injures woman in Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY — A fire razed 15 houses and injured a 50-year-old woman here on Maundy Thursday.

Superintendent Jhufel Brananola, district fire marshal of the Zamboanga City Fire Department, said the fire occurred at 8:20 a.m. at Zone 9-C in Barangay Zambowood, which is about 6.1 kilometers from the city proper.

“Fire alarm status reached the second alarm, but we managed to put it off after an hour of firefighting. A woman was rescued, and she suffered first degree burns,” Brananola said.

The woman, Marilou Del Rosario, was immediately brought to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Initial investigation revealed that frequent power outage in this city may have caused Del Rosario’s air conditioner to explode, according to Brananola.

“She saw continuous electrical sparks from her aircon, followed by a mild explosion,” he said, adding that Del Rosario may have failed to unplug the unit after a power outage and the appliance was still on when the power returned.

Brananola said responding teams from the Fire Engine Company (FEC) of Barangay Mercedes, FEC 11 Boalan Fire Sub-station, and FEC 23 Rosenbauer of Central Fire Station, as well as water tankers from the city government, successfully put out the fire. /ee