By ANTONIO L. COLINA IV
DAVAO CITY – Two persons were killed and one was injured in a fire in Purok 2, Barangay 2-A, this city, on Saturday night, July 13.
A FIRE hit Purok 2 in Barangay 2-A, Davao City on Saturday night, July 13. One-hundred fifty houses were destroyed and 203 families were displaced. (Bureau of Fire Protection-Davao City Fire District)
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-Davao City Fire District said the fire affected 203 families and destroyed 150 houses in a land with an area of approximately 2,000-square meters.
The fire started at 8:25 p.m.
Firefighters from different stations here immediately responded to the blaze.
The fire reached third alarm before it was put under control around 11 p.m. and extinguished at 1:05 a.m.
Police Capt. Hazel Tuazon, spokesperson of the Davao City Police Office, said that the fire started from the house of a certain Charlene Puerto Lopez.
She said the two fatalities were cousins.
Tuazon said that the parents of the victims, Rjay Lopez, 11, and Roy Reteza, 14, both with autism, informed firemen that their children were missing.
The bodies of the victims were found inside the comfort room of their house during mopping-up operations. She said their remains were brought to Villa Funeral, Toril, Davao City.
She said 203 families or 545 individuals are temporarily taking shelter at Magallanes Elementary School.
Damage to property was estimated at P2.250 million.
Arson investigators are determining the cause of the fire. Tuazon said that the houses were made of light materials.