Fire destroys scores of houses in Boulevard, Molo
Fire gutted an array of houses, including a furniture shop, in slum area on Zone 3, San Juan, Molo district here.
City Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said the fire that broke out at about 9 o’clock on Friday morning originated from the Iloilo Home Art Furniture and rapidly spread to the adjoining houses located just across the 3-meter high concrete wall surrounding the furniture compound.
The fire had destroyed the houses, made mostly of mixed and light materials, before the city firetrucks and Volunteer Fire Brigade from the Filipino-Chinese community arrived.
Apart from the totally burned furniture shop owned by the couple Bongbong and Heidi Bacugan, also destroyed by the early morning blaze were the houses owned by Rhea de la Cruz, Anastacio Degayo, Rommel Baguyo, Thelma Degayo, Lucita Singson and Leonilo Palmes,
Partially damaged were those owned by retired police Reymus Palmes, Ma. Luz Oribe, Rommel Jimena and Samuel Jimena.
Fire authorities has initially placed the damage at some P2 million.
Sr. Fire Officer 4 Isidro Pelaez reported that a furniture shop worker Ronnie Franco of Rizal-Pala-Pala, Iloilo City sustained burns on his face while Ronald Valerio was slightly injured when hit by the water hose during the incident.
Meanwhile, a team of arson investigators, led by SFO2 Antonio Patiño, confirmed that the fire started at the furniture shop where Franco was doing a welding job when he saw the fire near the stock of foams.
The fire rapidly spread and gobbled up the flammable and combustible stocks inside the furniture shop.
At first, effort of responding firefighters to put out the blaze was quite stalled as firetrucks could not readily penetrate the fire scene due to the narrow road. The fire, however, was placed under control barely two hours later. (PNA)