SJ fire affects 164 families

AT LEAST 164 families in Barangay West Crame, San Juan City, were rudely roused from sleep when a fire hit the densely-populated area at 2:23 a.m. Sunday.

When the smoke cleared almost two hours later, many residents had lost their houses while seven other people, including two firemen, had to be treated for injuries.

Officials, meanwhile, estimated the damage to property at around P200,000.

According to San Juan fire marshal Chief Insp. Greg Domowey, the blaze on 3rd West Crame, Barangay West Crame, was reportedly caused by two unidentified men who threw a molotov bomb inside the house owned by Boboy Ocampo.

Domowey said that in their initial investigation, witnesses who were drinking with Ocampo outside his house told them that they saw one of the two men approach the structure, light up a bottle filled with liquid and throw it inside.

The suspects then fled on foot as a fire broke out, spreading to 45 houses in the area which were mostly made of wood.

At press time, Domowey said that they had yet to find out the suspects’ motive for targeting Ocampo. He added that days before the incident, some residents had reported spotting the two men roaming around the area.

The fire official added that two of his responders, FO1 Jun-jay Pharma and FO1 Lyndon Aguilar, suffered minor cuts in their hands while battling the blaze which reached the fourth alarm. Domowey said that they had a hard time putting out the fire because of the narrow streets in the neighborhood.

Five residents who complained of minor cuts or suffered difficulty in breathing were taken to San Juan Medical Center. They were identified as Teresa Tongol, Jean Malong, Corazon Tolentino, Daniel dela Cruz and Oscar

Tolentino.

The around 600 individuals affected by the fire are temporarily housed in two nearby churches. The San Juan City government said it would be providing them with meals while the Philippine Red Cross has donated mats and blankets.