1 hurt, 5 stores razed in Cotabato fires

KIDAPAWAN CITY –– Several fires razed at least five business establishments in Kabacan, Cotabato on Saturday dawn, a disaster official said.

David Don Saure, Kabacan’s Disaster Risk Reduction, and Management Officer, said the first fire broke out near the entrance of the public market.

Minutes later, while the Bureau of Fire Protection was trying to put off the flames, another took place in Malvar Street, near the exit of the town’s public market.

Saure said the first fire broke out at 2:30 a.m., and both were put off an hour after. These gutted an optical clinic, several shops and stores, and boarding houses.

A computer technician identified as France Laniego, suffered third-degree burns when he tried to salvage personal computers in a shop while the fire raged. Laniego is now confined in a Kabacan hospital.

Police are looking at the possibility arsonists started the blaze as several persons were seen in the area before the incident.

Saure lamented that the village peacekeepers were not able to check on the persons.

Saure, however, said one of them was already identified and being pursued by local police.

Two minors are under the custody of the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office after being linked to the torching of at least seven establishments in the town on December 1 and 2.

“They could be members of a gang and possibly, there is somebody behind them,” Saure said./lzb