DAVAO City fire victims receiving assistance. (Photo via Ivy Tejano)
DAVAO CITY – Over 1,000 individuals displaced by a fire in Barangay 23-C have received assistance from Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte and Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte II.
Personnel have been distributing packed meals to affected families staying in temporary evacuation sites.
Authorities have recorded 460 affected families in evacuation centers, or around 1,356 individuals. Final validation by the City Social Welfare and Development Office is ongoing.
Relief operations began on Saturday, May 9, and will continue until Wednesday, May 13, as the government completes damage assessments and verify the number of displaced residents.
The fire broke out around 8 p.m. on Friday, May 8, and reached the fourth alarm as it spread through the densely populated coastal community of Purok 4D–Mini Forest and Purok 5–Isla Verde.
The Bureau of Fire Protection in Davao City had difficulty containing the blaze due to the closely built houses made of light materials. About 150 houses were destroyed.
One resident, a 38-year-old man, sustained second-degree burns. Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire and assessing damage.
The Dutertes said they will continue assisting the victims.