Fire leaves 67 families homeless in Iligan City

These are what remained of the 48 houses gutted Thursday by a three-hour fire in Iligan City. Photo by Richel V. Umel, Inquirer Mindanao

ILIGAN CITY––A three-hour fire in coastal Buru-un village in this city on Thursday gutted 48 houses and left 67 families homeless.

Fire Officer 2 Julian Tangub Jr., chief investigator of the Bureau of Fire Protection, said the incident was reported to them around 1:45 p.m. and was put out after three hours.

The houses were made of light materials that were quickly gobbled by the blaze and fanned by winds from the bay, Tangub said.

Power and phone lines in the area were temporarily cut off, while vehicles were stopped at the national highway.

The BFP called in 12 fire trucks to the scene, three of them from nearby towns of Lanao del Norte.

Tangub said a fireman was brought to a hospital for treatment of a minor injury he got while fighting off the blaze.

Investigators initially estimated the damage at P300,000.

The displaced families are temporarily staying at the Buru-un gym.

Technicians restore power in Buru-un village, Iligan City, after a three-hour fire Thursday. Photo by Richel V. Umel, Inquirer Mindanao

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