Two hurt, 27 families homeless in Carreta fire

James Michael Durano was doing his laundry, his usual weekend chore, when he heard popping sounds in their house at sitio Bagong Buhay, barangay Carreta yesterday afternoon.

Wearing only his underwear, Durano, a 39-year-old employee of the Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom), immediately rushed outside to check their house’s second floor and saw fire coming out of the windows.

“Gikuha nako ang mga bata human nidagan ko sa mga silingan para mangayo ug tabang. Nag underwear ra gud ko nagdagan [I fetched my kids then ran to the neighbors for help. I was only in my underwear when I ran],” he recalled.

“Tungod siguro to sa electrical wiring. Didto man sa kisame nako nadunggan, [It could be due to electrical wiring. I heard the popping sound in our ceiling],” he added.

The fire quickly spread in the neighborhood, leaving 27 families homeless. Fire officials said 14 houses made of light materials were destroyed while a single house was partially damaged.

According to fire investigator FO3 Emiliano Daño, two persons were injured in the fire.

Durano’s uncle, Vicente Durano, sustained second degree burns in his back and arms. A hip injury made it difficult for him to get out of the house quickly. John Rey Durano, 14, had his foot injured in the fire.

Daño said the fire started at 2:18 p.m. and was put out after 30 minutes.

Total damage was estimated to be at around P250,000. Meanwhile, the affected families were evacuated to the barangay gym.

Alvin Santillana, operations head of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (CCDRRMC), said they will provide food to the families for the next three to four days.

Road widening

Santillana said the interior roads in the sitio need “widening and restoration.” Fire trucks had a hard time accessing the area because of the narrow road.

Santillana said he will review the city’s inventory of roads to check the specified spacing of the roads from the houses.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama however said he will first sit down with the barangay officials of Carreta to discuss the proposed widening of the access road.

The lots of the affected families are under the National Housing Authority (NHA) program, according to barangay captain Eduardo Lauron.

However, he said the residents have yet to start paying for the lots.

In 2011, the city government proposed a re-blocking of sitios Laurente, Teracura and Ponce Dos of barangay Carreta, and Sambag of barangay Tejero after firefighters struggled to put out the fire in the areas due to its narrow roads. /Peter L. Romanillos, Correspondent