• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
A total of 96 houses have been burned in the past two days, leading to injuries to a barangay official and affecting 99 families across two barangays of Bacolod City, according to the Bureau of Fire and Protection.
One day after fire burned 81 houses made of light materials in a coastal area of Purok Kagaykay, Barangay 2 in Bacolod City, on July 31, another blaze hit 15 houses at Purok Kingfisher in Brgy. 16, Bacolod City.
Of the 15 affected houses, 10 were destroyed by fire while five others were partially damaged, the initial BFP investigation showed.
Suffering from second degree burns was Alejandro Tiad, 50, Purok Kingfisher president, of Brgy. 16 in Bacolod City.
FSupt. Jenny Mae Masip, BFP Bacolod Fire Marshall, disclosed that the fire originated from the house of a certain Gerald Arroyo, which was suspected to have been triggered by an overheating ceiling fan.
The 18 affected families, composed of 83 individuals, are temporarily staying in an evacuation center, and attended to by the City Social Welfare and Development Office.
On the other hand, the fire that struck an informal settler area in Brgy. 2, Bacolod City, on Wednesday, was established by BFP arson probers to have been triggered by the burning of cardboard egg trays, used as an improvised mosquito repellent.
A total of 81 families, composed of about 344 residents, were affected by the fire.
The total estimated value of the damage from the two fire incidents was placed by BFP at more than P2 million.*
