Bolilao fire victims may get financial aid
Left photo: Two kids watch the ruins from their partially
burned house. Right: A boy recieves the payment for the
scrap irons he gathered from the fire scene which he
then sold.
A. Chris Fernandez photos
City Mayor Jerry Treñas is contemplating of giving financial assistance to 37 families whose houses were razed by fire Monday noon at Barangay Bolilao, Mandurriao district. Fire investigators estimated the damage to properties to reach P1.2 million.
Treñas said he will try to check on the possibility of extending financial assistance to the fire victims. As to date, the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) only provided noodles, canned goods, rice and other food stuff to the fire victims.
Based on the records provided by Lycia D. Sabido, Social Welfare Officer 2 of CSWDO-Mandurriao, 25 houses are totally burned and four are partially burned. There are 204 persons affected, 26 renters and only eight families went to Barangay Bolilao Day Care Center to seek shelter. Most of the affected families stayed in their relatives or friends.
Treñas said some of the fire victims also received help from private persons to ease their burden. He said the fire incident is so unusual since there was a heavy downpour when the fire occurred Monday afternoon. The chief executive rushed to the fire scene and oversee the operation.
Meanwhile, City Fire Marshall chief Nilo Pacifico said they have yet to determine the cause of the fire. He said fire investigators are still interviewing the victims on what triggered the fire even if they have already figured out on whose house the fire emanated.
Pacifico said he could not categorically say on whether the fire was a case of an arson or a faulty electrical connection pending the outcome of the investigation. They are expected to finish their investigation next week.
Pacifico said the fire started at the second floor of the house owned by Azucena Katipunan. The fire was first seen at Katipunan's room. The house owner was not around when the fire razed her house. It easily spread to the nearby houses which are mostly made of light materials.
It took almost an hour for the firemen to totally extinguish the fire. The firefighters found it hard to penetrate the fire scene because of the lack of access area. The passageway is also slippery and narrow. "They (firemen) had to look for alternative access way," said Pacifico.
The responding firemen interconnected the waterhole in order to reach the fire scene. They were able to interconnect some 900 feet of water hoses in fighting the fire. The fire was totally put off after an hour, said Pacifico.