Firemen call for alert after 3 fires hit Iloilo

ILOILO CITY—The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Iloilo City has called for heightened alert and precautionary measures after three fires hit the city in two days.

Fire Supt. Jerry Candido, city fire marshal, said precautions should also be taken in celebrating Christmas and New Year’s Day because of the use of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic materials.

One person died and about P45.5 million worth of property went up in smoke in the two fire incidents on Dec. 21 and a third one on Dec. 22.

The six-hour fire that hit the Longwin retail shop along Aldeguer Street in the city’s central business district on Monday destroyed goods and property worth at least P30 million.

Candido said their investigation showed that an electrical short circuit triggered the fire that started from the building’s mezzanine floor, where assorted goods, including plastic and textile items, were stored.

An unattended stove caused the fire in the community at Zone 6, Barangay Boulevard, in Molo District on the same day, killing Marissa Marbais who went back inside her burning house, thinking that one of her five children was inside.

Thirty-eight houses were destroyed and another nine were damaged in the fire while at least 61 families were left homeless in Zone 6, according to Candido.

The cost of the damage was placed at P15 million, investigators said.

A fire razed eight houses and damaged three others in Barangay Calaparan in Arevalo District on Tuesday with damage estimated at P500,000.

An electrical short circuit is also believed to have caused the fire.

Candido urged revelers to forego the use of firecrackers to avoid fires.

“This is the most effective way of preventing fires that usually occur during Christmas and New Year celebrations,” he said.

He said house owners should also make sure that windows, doors and other openings are closed as a precaution against wayward fireworks. Openings of warehouses and stockrooms should also be covered.