By Calvin Cordova
CEBU CITY—More than 100 houses went up in smoke after a fire struck last Thursday afternoon in Barangay Hipodromo here.
(PIXABAY / MANILA BULLETIN)
The fire razed 162 homes and left 227 families or 1,195 individuals homeless, according to the City Hall’s Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS).
One of the houses razed by fire was owned by self-confessed big time drug lord Kerwin Espinosa.
The house of Hipodromo barangay captain Ruperto Bacolod Jr. was also razed.
Fire damage was pegged at P2 million.
The fire broke out at 3:10 p.m. and spread quickly since most of the houses were made of light materials.
It didn’t help that winds were strong when the fire broke out, said Bacolod.
Nagiel Bañacia, head of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, the narrow roads leading to the fire site prevented fire fighters from putting out the flames quickly.
The fire was controlled at 4:19 p.m.
The cause of fire is still being investigated.