CEBU CITY – The owner of the house where a fire that started and razed at least 250 houses in Barangay Looc, Mandaue City insisted that he did not set his house on fire intentionally.
Reynaldo Devilleres said he may have accidentally hit a kerosene lamp while he was sleeping in his room on Tuesday night, Nov. 22.
In an interview with reporters, Devilleres said he came home drunk and forgot to put off the kerosene lamp before he slept.
Devilleres said his house had no electricity and he used gas lamps to light his house at night.
A neighbor told fire investigators that the fire started on the second floor of Devilleres’ house.
Devilleres said the fire was already big when he woke up.
“I jumped from the window when I saw the flames. I could have been burned if I was not able to jump,” said Devilleres, who sustained minor burns in his arms during the incident.'
The fire started at 11:45 p.m. The fire spread so quickly that it was raised to a fourth alarm just 16 minutes after it broke out.
Most of the houses in the area were made of light materials. The fire was finally put out at 2:38 a.m.t, according to the report by SFO1 Danny Zamoras, investigator of the Mandaue City Fire Department.
At least P1.2 million in property was destroyed by the fire, Zamora said.
In the initial assessment of the Mandaue City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer, the fire displaced 601 families or 2,291 individuals as of 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 23.
Fire victims took temporary shelter at the Looc Gym and City Central School.
Mandaue Mayor Jonas Cortes assured the fire victims that they can rebuild their homes once the revalidation is finished.
Cortes asked the affected residents to cooperate in the revalidation to ensure that those who will be rebuilding homes are only those who were affected by the fire.
“We need your cooperation. For sure you know who your neighbors are. Help us in the revalidation because there may be some people who will come forward and pretend that they are among the fire victims to get help and build a house in the area,” Cortes said he met the fire victims staying at the Looc gym.
“We should not allow that. We will give the right help to the right people,” added Cortes.
Cortes assured that necessary assistance will be given to the fire victims.
He also asked the City Council to hold a special session for the speedy release of assistance to the fire victims.
Cortes said that initial help such as food packs and disaster kits have been distributed to fire victims.
The city’s mobile kitchen was also deployed in the evacuation areas to assist the fire victims, Cortes said.