BY MA. THERESA LADIAO
ILOILO City – A fire in the early hours of Monday swept through two barangays in the City Proper, causing widespread destruction and displacing 84 families.
The blaze, which originated in Barangay Tanza Bonifacio neighborhood and quickly spread to nearby Barangay Rizal Estanzuela, started at around 2:10 a.m. and escalated to a fourth alarm by 3 a.m.
Raging for more than two hours, the fire was extinguished by 4:37 a.m. by firefighters from the Bureau of Fire Protection and volunteer fire brigades.
The damaged area covered 1,935 square meters.
Fire Superintendent Melanie Habawel, the city fire marshal, said there were no fatalities but one individual, Marx Axl Panuela, 27, sustained injuries.
A total of 32 houses were completely destroyed and 12 suffered partial damage in the incident, leading to an estimated financial loss of P677,250, according to Habawel.
Most of the houses were made of light materials.
According to the City Social Welfare and Development Office, the affected families, comprising 57 from Barangay Tanza Bonifacio and 25 from Barangay Rizal Estanzuela, temporarily moved to the Tanza Parish Church and Rizal Elementary School, with many losing almost all possessions.
The City Social Welfare and Development Office is providing the evacuees relief, according to Sarah Panelo, Social Welfare Officer III.
Initial investigation suggested that the fire may have started from a candle lit by a nine-year-old child at their family home in Barangay Tanza Bonifacio.
The mother appealed to neighbors for understanding, citing the accidental nature of the incident.
Among those who lost their homes during the fire was a family with a pregnant member. Rona Sagudo, mother of the pregnant young woman, recounted the harrowing moments when the fire engulfed their house.
“As soon as everything erupted, we just ran out of the house, unable to save any possessions,” Sagudo said.
She revealed that even her daughter’s savings, amounting to P10,000, were consumed by the flames.
Despite the loss, Sagudo expressed gratitude that her entire family, including her four-year-old and two-year-old grandchildren, managed to escape unharmed./PN
