Arson seen cause of fire that killed 2 in Cebu City village

Fire scene on Sitio Ponce, Barangay Carreta, Cebu City that killed two people early Saturday morning. WENCESLAO “JUNJIE” MENDOZA/INQUIRER-VISAYAS

CEBU CITY — Arson was eyed as the cause of the fire that broke out from near the house of a drug suspect in Barangay Carreta, Cebu City.

A man was taken into custody on suspicion he doused gasoline near the house of drug suspect Eddie Basillote.

The fire spread to 49 other houses and killed Nicasio Orcullo, 62, and his wife, Prosefina, 57.

The fire destroyed the Pin Ball gaming shop, whose closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras captured the mauling of Ballisote by policemen who arrested him on drug charges on April 18.

Ballisote’s relative posted the CCTV footage on the Facebook page Tulfo Charity to seek help from the alleged abusive policemen.

The video later went viral and triggered an investigation by the Commission on Human Rights as well as by the Police Regional Office-Central Visayas.

Basillote’s relatives earlier claimed that city police chief Colonel Royina Garma threatened to kill them, but the police official denied the allegation.

Residents believed that the fire was intentionally set because it started from the wall just outside the house of Ballisote past 4 a.m. on Saturday in the Sitio Ponce Dos.

The fire quickly spread since the houses were built too close to each other and were made of light materials.

Vivian Aguanta, 42, said the fire spread quickly as if it was doused by gasoline. “We really believe someone had set fire on our houses. We just do not know who,” said Aguanta in Cebuano.

Pigs suffered burns during the fire at Sitio Ponce, Barangay Carreta, Cebu City, that killed a couple early Saturday morning. WENCESLAO “JUNJIE” MENDOZA/INQUIRER-VISAYAS/PHOTO

“I hope the perpetrator’s conscience would bother him as two of our neighbors are dead because of the fire,” she added.

Another resident, who declined to be identified, said her neighbors told her that someone threw a bottle full of kerosene on the wall near Basillote’s house.

The fire was put under control at 5:15 a.m., almost an hour after it broke out at 4:18 a.m.

Firemen found the bodies of the Orcullo couple after sunrise, in the debris of what used to be their house.

Barangay officials started relief operations while the fire victims were housed in tents near the fire scene. The village public school would be used as polling precincts on Monday’s polls. (Editor: Leti Z. Boniol)