A massive afternoon fire razed 37 houses at Purok Ramon, Magsaysay, Brgy. 14, Bacolod City, on Tuesday, April 21, leaving 307 residents homeless.
Bacolod Fire Marshal Jenny Mae Masip said the blaze broke out at past 3 p.m. resulting in 22 houses destroyed and 10 damaged.
The disaster has displaced 240 individuals and caused property damage estimated at P4.5 million, the Bureau of Fire Protection reported.
Masip said that the fire originated from the house of Regie Doronila but investigators are still working to determine the exact cause.
Masip identified the neighborhood as a “red zone”, where houses were built close together that the flames spread fast.
Their response was further hampered by the lack of access roads, preventing firetrucks from reaching the immediate vicinity of the fire, she said.
To combat the blaze, firefighters were forced to connect multiple long-distance hoses to reach the affected structures.
In a desperate bid to save their homes, residents climbed onto rooftops and organized a bucket relay to help douse the flames.
The fire victims were temporarily being housed at the Education Training Center School (ETCS) 3.*
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