BACOLOD CITY — A total of 22 families were left homeless after a fire destroyed or damaged 19 houses in Bagong Dalan, Purok San Jose 2, Barangay Sum-ag, on Tuesday.
Of the affected houses, 14 were destroyed, while five others were partially damaged, according to the Bureau of Fire Protection-Bacolod.
Fire Officer 2 Anthony Val Isansa, an arson investigator with BFP-Bacolod, said the fire broke out at 9:20 p.m. in the bedroom of a female renter in a house owned by a security officer.
The fire immediately spread to neighboring houses, most of which were made of light materials, he added.
Isansa said the fire was initially believed to have been caused by electrical arcing after the house owner reportedly tapped into a neighbor’s power supply.
An extension cord connected to the main outlet was used by the renter to charge her cellphone and power a ceiling fan in the bedroom, he added.
Nobody was inside the house when the fire broke out.
Isansa said the narrow pathway leading to the fire scene posed a challenge during the firefighting operation.
He added that firefighters had to cross a bamboo bridge to reach the area.
The bamboo bridge was later damaged, forcing residents to use the main road farther from the area.
Isansa said the area is considered a red zone because of the congestion and close proximity of the houses.
The fire was declared out at 9:50 p.m., leaving an estimated PHP 120,500 in property damage. No injuries were reported. (Glazyl M. Jopson via tdg photo by tdg)