FIRE has been a common occurrence in Cebu, just like in other places in the country, due to several factors, and most of the fire incidents in the province affected areas with houses made of light materials.
This March, being a Fire Prevention Month, VoxPop has compiled some of the most notable fire incidents in the province, particularly in Cebu City and Mandaue City, since 2015.
Below is the list.
2015
When: April 5, 2015 (Easter Sunday)
Location: Sitio Mansanitas, Barangay Cogon Pardo, Cebu City
Number of houses destroyed: 57 (all made of light materials)
Number of persons affected: 138 families or 570 individuals were left homeless
Damage to property: P200,000
When: December 26, 2015
Location: Sitio Avocado, Barangay Lahug, Cebu City
Number of houses destroyed: 100 (many of them were made of wood)
Number of persons affected: 126 families or 537 individuals
What caused the fire: Candle that was left unattended
Damage to property: P1 million
2016
When: December 3, 2016
Location: Barangay Duljo-Fatima (Sitios Bohol Village, Saduco, Riverside, Continental, Plastikan and Chicagoin)
Number of persons affected: 602 families or 2,722 individuals
Damage to property: P1.5 million
The fire lasted for around seven hours and the flames spread across six sitios.
2017
When: February 20, 2017
Location: Sitio Lutaw-Lutaw in Barangay Tisa and Sitios Rosario and Tanjay in Barangay Labangon
Number of houses destroyed: 259 (made of light materials)
Number of persons affected: 1,090 individuals
What caused the fire: A lamp that was thrown by a family member
Damage to property: P1.5 million
The fire lasted for about six hours and the houses were easily eaten by the flames as the firefighters had a hard time penetrating the area because of tight roads and closely-packed houses.
2018
When: January 5, 2018
Location: Metro Ayala Center Cebu
Damage to property: P100 million
It took two days for the firefighters to control the blaze that hit the mall in the evening of January 5, 2018. No one was trapped inside the building, as customers and personnel were safely evacuated.
When: December 24, 2018
Location: Sitios Buli, Ponyang, Mansanitas and San Pedro in Barangay Duljo-Fatima
Number of houses burned: 444
Number of persons affected: 593 families or 2,574 individuals; a 12-year-old died in the incident
Damage to property: P3 million
What caused the fire: An argument between a couple that prompted the wife to burn the motorcycle of her husband
2019
When: February 5, 2019
Location: Sitios Bato, Pig Vendor and Castilaan, Barangay Ermita, Cebu City
Number of persons affected: 600 families, or 2,578n individuals
Damage to property: P3 million
When: October 19, 2019
Location: Barangay Sambag 1, Cebu City
Number of houses burned: 38
Number of persons affected: 98 families or 314 individuals
A 14-year-old Grade 9 student of Southwestern University-Phinma died in the incident.
2020
When: February 26, 2020
Location: Sitio Sto. Nino, Barangay Suba, Cebu City
Number of persons affected: 600 families
Damage to property: P1.5 million
No injuries or fatalities were reported.
When: February 29, 2020
Location: Sitios Bayabas and Ternate in Barangay Ibabao-Estancia, Mandaue City
Number of persons affected: 530 families or 1,404 individuals
Damage to property: P2.4 million
When: December 6, 2020
Location: Sitio Superior, Barangay Looc, Mandaue City
Number of houses burned: 96
Number of persons affected: 120 families or 574 individuals
Damage to property: P1.4 million
When: December 25, 2020
Location: Sitio Telecom, Barangay Casuntingan, Mandaue City
Number of persons affected: 16 families
Damage to property: P140,000
The families who were displaced by the fire ended up celebrating Christmas Day at the barangay gym.
2021
When: February 11, 2021
Location: Treasure Island Industrial Corp., Sitio Pilit, Barangay Cabancalan, Mandaue City
Damage to property: P25 million
Not a single employee of Treasure Island Industrial Corp., the manufacturer of Island Paints, was hurt in the incident.
(Leah Y. Capuyan/VoxPop Philippines)