Fire razes parts of Barangay 34-D, Purok 3 in Davao City on Monday, 26 February 2024. Photo courtesy of Filipino-Chinese Firefighters of Davao, Inc.
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 29 February) – “My Boy Scout training saved me and my pets from being burned alive,” Grade 7 student Rexter Drave Oñez, 12, said gratefully in Cebuano.
At 4:45 p.m. Monday, February 26, Oñez was alone in their house near Circumferential Road Barangay 34-D, Purok 3.
While engrossed in his online classes, he felt a sudden heat and caught a whiff of smoke.
Looking around, he saw fire in the vicinity.
At the time, his mother was on duty at the barangay health center, leaving him with no one close enough to ask for help. But thanks to his resourcefulness that he learned from boy scouting, he did not panic.
“Mihawa ko sa [atubangan sa] laptop, mikuha ko’g tubig sa refrigerator unya akong gihilamos sa akong nawong. Human, gidala nako ang laptop, gikugos nako ang iro ug iring (I moved away from the laptop, got cold water from the refrigerator, and rinsed my face. Afterwards, I grabbed the laptop, and carried my pet dog and cat),” he recounted.
He noticed the fire was approaching outside their home, but he was not scared. His mind was fixated on escaping and finding where to go out safely.
With the houses in the neighborhood close to each other, Oñez shared how he navigated through the plywood walls of the neighboring homes by making holes through them, as the main entrance of their house led towards the inferno.
He could not remember how many plywood walls he destroyed just to go outside.
Moments later together with six of his neighbors who were on the brink of being trapped, they maneuvered through the haze to find a safe exit route without getting injured by the fire.
“It was truly intense, I was a survivor. I am grateful to the Almighty for preserving my life and that of my pets,” Oñez said.
Fire victims Rexter Drave Oñez (sitting), his mother Jeniev Oñez (right, standing) and grandmother Edwina Balala Artos seek temporary shelter at the Kapitan Tomas Monteverde Sr. Elementary School on Wednesday, 28 February 2024. MindaNews photo by IAN CARL ESPINOSA
His mother, Jeniev Oñez, 35, and grandmother Edwina Balala Artos, 59, who both work as barangay health workers, were deeply worried as events unfolded rapidly, realizing the extent of the fire through a Facebook live stream.
They hastily made their way “like marathon runners” from the health center near Royal Mandaya Hotel towards Paseo de Roxas to salvage their belongings. However, firefighters prevented them to get through as the flames grew bigger.
“I cannot comprehend my emotions, I just want to see my son alive during those moments,” Jeniev recalled in Cebuano, holding back her tears.
Jeniev wanted to die if her son was killed by the fire, Artos said.
According to data from the City Social Welfare and Development Office, the fire affected at least 18 homeowners, 30 house renters and 30 boarders. The fire also damaged an estimated P5.05 million worth of houses and personal belongings.
Also affected by the fire was a church of The United Methodist Church, its second floor suffering significant damage.
In a radio interview on Tuesday, Barangay 34-D chairperson Eillen Khlair Guevara said the fire may have been caused by a fallen sparking post.
She said the fire spread quickly because the houses and apartments were mostly made from light materials.
The affected residents sought temporary shelter at the Kapitan Tomas Monteverde Sr. Central Elementary School gymnasium. (Ian Carl Espinosa / MindaNews)
