A fire hit 43 houses in Sitio Dacutan Dako, Barangay Mambulac, Silay City, at past noon Tuesday, February 22, Mayor Mark Golez said.
Thirty-one houses were destroyed and 12 were damaged affecting about 191 persons, he said.
Fourteen families with 65 members have sought shelter at an evacuation center, while 29 families with 126 families are with friends and relatives, he said.
The about two-hour fire that hit houses mostly made of light materials affected a community of poor fisherfolk.
The Bureau of Fire Protection initially placed the destruction at P500,000.*