Faulty electrical wiring causes huge fire in Cebu City

By Calvin Cordova CEBU CITY — About 300 houses were razed when a fire broke out in a densely populated area in Barangay Suba here on Wednesday night. The fire, which started around 7 p.m., damaged P1.5 million in property as firefighters took almost two hours to contain the fire. Senior Fire Officer 1 Novo Erana said the fire destroyed 259 houses and displaced 603 families. No one was hurt in the incident. Faulty electrical wiring was suspected to be the cause of the fire, which started on the second floor of a house owned by Jerry Cabido, said Erana. The fire spread quickly since most of the houses in the area were made of light materials. The fire alarm was raised to task force bravo at 8:12 p.m. The fire was declared under control at 8:53 p.m. City Administrator Floro Casas visited the fire victims yesterday to check what assistance the city could provide. The fire victims have taken temporary shelter in two sports gymnasiums in the barangay.