ILOILO – Two ancestral houses in the component city of Passi were gutted by a massive fire around 11:59 a.m. yesterday, the first day of the Fire Prevention Month.
The houses were owned by Jean Limjuco and Rosalinda Palmares, said Fire Officer 2 Elvis Aguilar of the Passi City-Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).
The flames started from the second floor of Limjuco’s house then quickly crawled into Palmares’, initial BFP investigation showed.
“Totally burned gid ang duha ka ancestral houses kay human sa light materials,” Aguilar told Panay News.
The BFP estimated the damage to have reached P300,000.
A fire-out was declared around 1:27 p.m. A fire truck from Calinog, Iloilo also responded to the blaze.
Aguilar said BFP has yet to determine the cause of the fire. No injuries were reported.
With the unfortunate start of the Fire Prevention Month, the Passi City-BFP said it would intensify its campaign on fire prevention.
There is an ongoing information dissemination through the distribution of flyers and rekoreda spearheaded by Senior Inspector Arden Bedoña, acting city fire marshal.
Meanwhile, another fire struck two houses past noon yesterday in Barangay Hibao-an, Mandurriao, Iloilo City.
The blaze totally burned the house of Philip David, 40, and partially damaged his brother-in-law Rimo Abay’s.
The fire broke out around 12:25 p.m. A fire-out was declared around 1:04 p.m.
According to Fire Officer 2 Ronald Agot, David’s house did not have its own electric meter and they were merely tapping from another house owned by a sibling.
Investigation showed there was probably a loose connection of an extension, causing it to flare up.
The fire easily crept because the house was also made of light materials.
Property damage was estimated at P15,000.
There were no reported injuries and deaths./PN
