Fire razed 9 houses,10 families affected

By Paolo Gabriel D. Jamer

A fire near two of Naga City’s top universities razed nine houses including a dormitory and an eatery rendering 10 families homeless, a report of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said.

BFP said the fire incident transpired at Barangay Bagumbayan Sur in Naga City on May 19 at around 10:42 PM.

Aside from BFP personnel who responded to the fire scene, the Naga City Filipino-Chinese Volunteer Firefighters Inc. or Naga White and Chin Po Tong Volunteer Fire Brigade, Inc. also rushed to the area. The fire was extinguished at around 11:40 PM.

According to Naga City Fire Marshal Peter Paul Mendoza, no one was injured during the incident except for a youngster who was brought to NICC Doctors Hospital for medical check up.

The BFP said the fire started at the De Vera residence where an explosdion was heard by residents. Some P7 million worth of properties were damaged by the fire.

One of the affected victims of the fire incident is a 63-year-old mother, who is now short of cash for the medical needs of her husband and daughter who have asthma and a heart illness.

“Ang priority ko ngayon is gamot ng husband ko sa asthma kasi that is P1,400. Ten puffs na lang natira sa kanya. Thankfully, kahit papaano, may trabaho ako sa LGU,” she said.

Non-government organizations like Solid Leni Bicol, and various student councils in Naga have organized donation drives to collect cash donations for the fire victims.

Some of the affected families are presently being assisted by the City Social Welfare and Development Office.