A person with disabilities and her 3-year-old daughter died, while an elderly man was injured, in a fire that destroyed seven houses and damaged one at Purok Bayanihan, Brgy. Taculing, Bacolod City, at 8:47 a.m. Monday, April 17.
The fatalities were identified as Mengel Itchon, 39, who was a stroke victim, and her daughter, Jhanella Itchon, 3.
Injured was Arthuro Aplacador, 84, who sustained minor burns on the back of his right shoulder, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) reported.
The child was almost out of the house but appears to have tried to save her mother who could not get out, Chief Inspector Stephen Jardeleza, city fire marshal, said.
When their charred bodies were found the child and mother appeared to be reaching out to each other as their arms were outstretched , Jardeleza added.
The fire destroyed the houses of Precilla Losaria, Merlyn Baynosa, Ramil Baynosa, Jeramil Baynosa,
Bea Ebesate, Nickel Aplacador and Clarrice Moreno, and damaged was the house of Aneta Moreno, the BFP reported.
The fire appeared to have been caused by unattended cooking embers, Jardeleza said.
Estimated destruction was initially placed at about P300,000.
The city government is providing assistance to the victims, Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, who visited the scene of the fire, said.
But more importantly the city government will now assess where there are possible fire prone areas and take extra measures to prevent similar fires from occurring, he said.
“We will focus on prevention rather than thinking of what to give them when they are hit by a fire,” Benitez said.
“I can share in their grief, it should not happen again,” the mayor said.
Benitez also said there is a plan to create unified command response centers composed of BFP, police and City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office personnel to ensure a more efficient response to calamities, which will be located in five cluster areas in Bacolod.*