ILOILO City — A fire partially damaged an unoccupied residential property along Rainbow Street in Barangay Lopez Jaena Sur, La Paz district shortly past 12 noon on Monday, Oct. 12.
The house is owned by Marisol Acceña Bernardo, who currently resides in Canada.
According to the caretaker, identified as “Eric,” the property has been vacant for approximately three to five years, with maintenance handled through routine visits.
Eric rushed to the scene after receiving an urgent phone call from neighbors who noticed smoke billowing from inside the structure.
“Dugay na ni di nga waay may ga istar. Mga 3-5 years na gani guro. Sa Canada na ang tag-iya. Gin-inform lang ako sa tupad balay di ho… gintawgan ko nila nga may ga asu, amo nga nagkadto ko gilayon. Pagkadto ko gin-check namon. Indi pa gani namon una matultulan kon diin ayon ang asu,” Eric told Panay News in an interview.
Eric noted that no electrical appliances were plugged in inside the home, ruling out a typical electrical short circuit. Instead, he suspects that stored lithium-ion batteries may have triggered the blaze.
“Wala may nasaksak kon ano da. Akon nga suspect is ang lithium battery nga amo na nga nag ano siya siguro… wala man kami lupok nga nabatian. Asu lang gid siya,” he added.
Because he lives some distance away, Eric visits the property periodically.
“Indi man ako everyday sa balay, mga every month ako gakadto kadto sa balay,” he shared.
“Wala may mga gamit gid, ang akon lang nga suspect is lithium battery. Mayo lang waay man tawo sa palibot. Mga 11 a.m. ako diri nag kadto nga daw ga asu,” he added.
Personnel from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) – Iloilo City and local fire volunteer brigades swiftly responded to the scene.
Due to their quick intervention, the flames were quickly brought under control and extinguished before spreading to adjacent homes. A “fire out” was declared at around 1:40 p.m.
Arson investigators were still conducting a thorough probe to determine the official cause of the fire and assess the total financial damage to the property.
No casualties or injuries were reported during the incident./PN
