Fire razes 15 houses in Apas; students, mall workers hit

ABOUT P350,000 in valuables and properties were lost in a fire that razed 15 houses in sitio Baka, barangay Apas, in Cebu City at past 6 p.m. yesterday.

Cebu City Fire Marshal Aderson Comar said the area was located a few meters from the Gaisano Country Mall.

The fire was put out after 35 minutes while traffic congestion built up along the nearby Gov. Cuenco Avenue as a result of the incident.

Initial reports said the fire started at the house of  Lodoy Maga where a  cooking fire was left unattended.

Hardest hit were students and Gaisano Country Mall workers renting rooms in boarding houses that were among those destroyed by the fire.

Students of the University of Cebu-Banilad Campus were seen rushing to the fire scene.

Senior Fire Officer 4 Angelito Abangan said the fire victims took refuge at two nearby chapels and a basketball court in barangay Apas.

The area is a private-owned lot.

“We were quick to contain the fire since we were able to move around and circle it before it could swallow other properties,” Abangan said.

Alvin Santillana, city disaster chief, said the affected families could reach up to 20.

Tents will be set up for the victims while food will be prepared for them this morning, Santillana said. Correspondent Edison Delos Angeles