Phil. Daily Inquirer, October 21, 2006
SOME 60 families were left homeless and about P1-million worth of property were destroyed when a two-hour fire hit a crowded neighborhood in Parañaque City yesterday morning.
In Marikina City, another fire destroyed more than P1-million worth of property, but no one was injured.
Ofelia Unite was in her house in Silverio Compound, Purok 1, Barangay San Isidro, Parañaque, when she saw smoke coming from an adjacent house, said arson investigator SFO4 Arturo Castro.
The house where the fire started was reportedly owned by Cezar and Elizabeth Cabaging, Castro added.
Neighbors said the couple could have been cooking on an open-flame and left it unattended.
“We could not find them after the fire,” Castro told the Inquirer.
A resident fell from a roof while trying to help put out the fire but he was not hurt. Castro said no other casualty was reported.
However, almost all affected residents were not able to save their belongings.
“The roads leading to the origin of the fire were too narrow, about four meters wide. We were able to reach the affected area by going over the roofs,” Castro said.
Help
Meanwhile, Mayor Florencio Bernabe, who immediately arrived at the fire scene, promised to bring relief goods for the homeless families. He said the City Engineer’s Office could also provide scrap materials to help the victims rebuild their homes.
In Marikina, the fire at around noon yesterday razed an old two-story house and kept firefighters busy for an hour, SFO1 Noel Guiyab told the Inquirer.
He said the fire began at 11:35 a.m. inside a house owned by Bienvenido Tamayo on Oval Street in Paliparan, Barangay Sto. Niño.
The family was out of the house when the fire started. Only a helper, who was doing the laundry, was in the compound. She said she heard minor explosions and saw the dining area in the ground floor on fire.
Controlled
Guiyab said the fire, which started near the stairs leading to the upper floor, quickly spread because the old house was mostly made of wood. Fire walls prevented the fire from spreading.
Responding firefighters managed to save the owner’s car. The fire was put under control at 12:30 p.m.
Guiyab said the fire could have been triggered by old electrical connections, although he said an investigation was still ongoing to determine its cause.
