SunStar Cagayan de Oro, March 26, 2007
AT LEAST 20 houses got razed to the ground by a fire that struck Barangay 17 area near Consolacion at past 7 p.m. last Friday.
Firefighters of the Cagayan de Oro Fire Station (COFS) reported that the fire originated from one of the houses where one of the residents accidentally dropped a lantern filled with gasoline. The blaze quickly spread to the other houses which were built mostly of light materials.
Two of the houses that got burned down belonged to one council member and the area's barangay chief, Martin Rapanot. Damages were placed at more than P700,000.
The area's narrow roads reportedly made it difficult for firefighters to arrive in the area in time. Fortunately no one was injured.
Radio stations dxIF Bombo Radyo and Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) dxCC each sent out appeals for assistance Sunday morning, with Mayor Vicente Emano saying that the City Social Welfare Office (CSWDO) deployed personnel to relocate the affected residents to the barangay hall and handle the delivery of foodstuffs and clothing to them.
Bombo Radyo started its "Operations Tabang" for the victims while RMN contacted officials such as Senate President Manny Villar and Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr., who promised to send aid.
The City Government is expected to provide emergency assistance to the affected families as it opens its office tomorrow.
