ILOILO CITY – Two major fires hit neighboring Barangays Rizal Lapuz Sur and Jalandoni Estate-Lapuz in this city in less than 24 hours on Friday, March 17, and Saturday, March 18.
A DRONE photo of the Saturday, March 18, fire in Barangay Rizal Lapuz Sur, Iloilo City. (Iloilo City DRRMO- USAR)
The Iloilo City Operations Center said the fire in Barangay Rizal Lapuz Sur on Saturday started past 9 a.m. Nine and five houses were totally razed and partially damaged, respectively. On March 17, a fire hit Barangay Jalandoni Estate-Lapuz. The Iloilo City Operations Center said 177 residents were displaced while 13 and 12 houses were totally and partially damaged. These two fires were the second and third here this Fire Prevention Month. The first was on March 7 which razed two houses in Barangay Lapuz Norte. Meanwhile, Mayor Jerry Treñas called on power distributor MORE Power, the Iloilo City Engineer's Office, and the Iloilo City Urban Poor Affairs Office (ICUPAO) to look into illegal connections that usually cause fires in highly populated areas. “They should look for solutions for areas where there are informal settlers so that proper electrical connections can be given to our less privileged constituents in the meantime. A legal electrical connection is the only way to avoid frequent occurrences of fire in our communities,” said Treñas in a statement.
A DRONE photo of the Saturday, March 18, fire in Barangay Rizal Lapuz Sur, Iloilo City. (Iloilo City DRRMO- USAR)
The Iloilo City Operations Center said the fire in Barangay Rizal Lapuz Sur on Saturday started past 9 a.m. Nine and five houses were totally razed and partially damaged, respectively. On March 17, a fire hit Barangay Jalandoni Estate-Lapuz. The Iloilo City Operations Center said 177 residents were displaced while 13 and 12 houses were totally and partially damaged. These two fires were the second and third here this Fire Prevention Month. The first was on March 7 which razed two houses in Barangay Lapuz Norte. Meanwhile, Mayor Jerry Treñas called on power distributor MORE Power, the Iloilo City Engineer's Office, and the Iloilo City Urban Poor Affairs Office (ICUPAO) to look into illegal connections that usually cause fires in highly populated areas. “They should look for solutions for areas where there are informal settlers so that proper electrical connections can be given to our less privileged constituents in the meantime. A legal electrical connection is the only way to avoid frequent occurrences of fire in our communities,” said Treñas in a statement.