Fire razes sack warehouse, 8 houses in Iligan
MindaNews photo by MARIVIC OMANDAM DAVIS
Witnesses said the fire started at the sack warehouse, owned by the family of Renato Eroy Remullo, at Purok 8A in Bulog, Barangay Tambacan around 2 p.m., causing black smoke to rise into the sky rapidly that can be seen even from afar.
SFO2 Richard Cartin, chief of the investigation and intelligence section of the Iligan City Fire Station, said it took fire personnel three hours to put out the fire even though a total of nine firetrucks, including from neighboring Lanao del Norte and Misamis Oriental provinces, came to help extinguish it.
He said the narrow pathways leading to the sack warehouse, situated in the middle of many houses, made it difficult for fire personnel to reach the fire scene.
Cartin said they are still investigating the cause of the fire.
Lionsia Calatrava, a 59-year-old widow who owned a store across the sack warehouse, said she heard a spark by the electrical post nearby around 2 p.m. “When I went out, I saw the warehouse already up in flames like an inferno, then explosions followed,” she said.[]
She heard her children shouting at her to get out of the house quickly. The Calatrava house collapsed except for a wall that still remained standing.
She was able to save herself, but not her granddaughter’s new computer set, which they bought at P50,000; her income from the store of about P10,000; and even her four dogs who died inside a cage.
What is left of the sack warehouse after the fire. MindaNews photo by MARIVIC OMANDAM DAVIS
A total of 69 individuals from 16 families were affected, according to the City Social Welfare and Development office. They are currently staying at the barangay hall of Tambacan.
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) declared fire out at 5:08 p.m.
Maj. Zandrex Panolong, spokesperson of the Iligan City Police Office, estimated damage at P810,000.
None were reported injured nor killed in the fire.[]
