ILOILO CITY -- A boarding house and an apartment building were hit by a fire in Boracay Island in Malay town, Aklan province on Thursday afternoon, Oct. 13.
Based on the initial reports from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP-Boracay), the fire broke out past 3 p.m. in Balabag village.
“We don’t know the cause of the fire yet or where it came from as it is still under investigation,” said Fire Officer 1 Keanu Lim, BFP-Boracay’s fire investigator.
Lim told the Manila Bulletin in a phone interview that the boarding house with 17 rooms was totally damaged in the fire, while the three-story apartment building of undetermined number of rooms was partially damaged.
While the fire was in progress, nearby residents tried to evacuate as it would spread easily owing to strong winds.
As of press time, Lim said the monetary damage has reached almost P400,000. However, the figure can be higher as they are still conducting mopping-up operations.
According to Lim, the fire was put under control around 3:46 p.m.