BY MA. THERESA LADIAO
ILOILO City – A fire ravaged Barangay Magsaysay Village in La Paz district yesterday afternoon, damaging 19 houses and displacing 27 families.
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) reported that the fire started around 2 p.m., with the first fire alarm received at 2:29 p.m.
The blaze was quickly raised to a second alarm by 2:36 p.m. and a third alarm by 2:39 p.m.
Firefighters managed to bring the fire under control by 3:01 p.m.
Barangay Kagawad Ronel Baido attributed the fast spread of the fire to the materials used in the affected houses, which were mostly made of light materials and situated close to each other.
“The houses were wall-to-wall and constructed from light materials, which is why the fire spread quickly,” Baido said.
The barangay has designated its multipurpose building and covered gym as temporary evacuation centers for those affected.
The estimated damage from the fire is approximately P450,000, affecting an area of 300 square meters, according to the BFP.
Of the 19 structures affected, 17 were completely destroyed while two sustained partial damage. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries or casualties.
The Iloilo City Social Welfare Development Office is coordinating with barangay officials to assess the number of displaced families and individuals, as well as the extent of the damage, including total and partial losses.
The BFP is currently investigating the cause of the fire and evaluating the damage caused by the incident.
Barangay Captain Gina Barrientos has called on the public for assistance in providing adequate support to residents affected by the fire.
According to some residents, they heard someone shout “fire”, which caused panic, prompting them to quickly evacuate their homes.
The blaze – part of a series of fires that hit the city since June of this year – also reached a motorcycle, which was completely burned in the incident.
This fire broke out less than two months after a similar one happened at a residential area in Barangay Mansaya in the adjacent Lapuz distric on August 24, 2024, causing the displacement of 34 people.
The Mansaya fire was reported at 7:35 a.m. and quickly escalated, with the BFP declaring first alarm at 7:41 a.m. and second alarm at 7:46 a.m.
Firefighters controlled the blaze by 7:55 a.m. and declared it extinguished at 8:16 a.m.
Four houses in a compound were destroyed, affecting 11 families,
A month prior to the Mansaya fire, fire struck a portion of a dormitory of the West Visayas State University Medical Center, a government-run university hospital, in Jaro district, on July 30, 2024.
The fire broke out at the rooftop of the building, according to an investigation done by the BFP.
Welding works were going on at the rooftop of the building when sprays of the welding sparks reached combustible materials such as foam, the investigation added.
The fire did not spread to other parts of the dorm because personnel of the hospital were quick to put out the fire.
No one was reported hurt in the incident.
Also a month, prior to the hospital dormitory fire, 10 houses were hit by a fire that broke out in Barangay Maria Cristina, Jaro district around 4:20 p.m. on June 30, 2024.
Of the houses affected, nine were destroyed, while one was damaged. Around 19 families or 49 individuals were displaced by the blaze.
Then two weeks prior to the Barangay Maria Cristina fire, an early morning blaze hit two heavily populated villages in the City Proper district on June 17, gutting completely 32 houses and partially destroying 12 others in Tanza Bonifacio and Rizal Estanzuela.
Fire Superintendent Melanie Habawel, BFP-Iloilo City fire marshal, said 84 families — 60 in Tanza Bonifacio and 24 in Rizal Estanzuela — were affected by the fire. A 27-year-old man was injured after falling from his house’s second floor.
Initial investigation indicated that an unattended lighted candle triggered the fire. A nine-year-old boy from Tanza Bonifacio reportedly lit the candle and placed it on top of a plastic bowl. According to his mother, Luisa, the boy went to sleep without putting out the candle. She explained that their electricity had been disconnected the previous day after they failed to pay their bill./PN
