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[av_heading tag=’h3′ padding=’10’ heading=’Fires hit 3 San Jose houses’ color=” style=’blockquote modern-quote’ custom_font=” size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ custom_class=”]
BY STEPHEN LOUIE CHECA
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SAN JOSE, Antique – Three houses in a village in this capital town were separately struck by fire on Monday and Wednesday.
Two houses owned by brothers Christopher and Leonardo Matillano were gutted around 11:15 a.m. Wednesday in Barangay 8 (Bagumbayan).
Christopher said he was cooking lunch when he saw the fast-growing flames in his brother’s house next to his. Gripped by fear and panic, Christopher rushed outside, failing to salvage any of his effects.
Leonardo had no idea how the fire started. At the time, he was in a neighbor’s house, cooking for an occasion.
Their houses were a mix of concrete and light materials.
An unattended burning mosquito-repellant coil may have triggered the blaze, initial investigation by the municipal fire station showed.
Fire investigators estimated the cost of damage at around P150,000.
Meanwhile their neighbors thanked the firefighters for preventing the fire from further spreading. A “fire out” was declared around 12:32 p.m.
In the same village, around 12:14 p.m. Monday, fire hit a concrete bungalow in Rodriguez Subdivision.
Firefighters found the incident strange. There was no one in the house at the time, said Senior Fire Officer 3 Alex Ortiaga, municipal fire station chief.
Ortiaga said the firefighters were forced to break the padlock and chain holding the gate so they could enter.
A certain Firmo Navarro owns the house. Navarro and his family now reside in Iloilo City and just visit the house sometimes, said Ortiaga.
Fire investigators have yet to determine the cause of fire amid conflicting statements from witnesses but pegged the cost of damage at around P500,000.
“We are coordinating with other agencies to find more concrete evidence,” said Ortiaga./PN
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