Polio victim killed, 188 homeless in 2 Cebu fires

SunStar: A 41-year-old polio victim was killed after being trapped inside a burning house, while 188 persons lost their homes after two fires hit Cebu City Thursday. Sun-Star Cebu (www.sunstar.com.ph) reported Friday that Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) rescuers identified the fatality as Raul Tura, 41, of D. Jakosalem St., Day-as village, Cebu City. City Hall’s disaster council said the fire, which was reported at 3:25 p.m. Thursday, also gutted 10 houses and affected 25 families, and damaged the village chapel. Tura’s death happened just five days after a fire in Sitio Little Dalaguete in Barangay San Nicolas killed 17-year-old Rodel Bedyot, a houseboy of one of the victims. Investigation showed Raul was left alone in the house, while Mariano and his other brother worked. Four hours earlier, a five-year-old girl rescued her younger brother and another boy from a burning house in another fire that hit Sitio Banawa in Guadalupe village in the city. Chevaune Julbe did not hesitate to save brother Nathaniel, 4, and relative Stefan Ramirez, 3, when she noticed that the house of Stefan’s parents Violeta and Jose caught fire. Chevaune, a Kinder 2 pupil in Banawa, said that Nathaniel and Stefan were playing with matches inside the house. The fire occurred at about 11 a.m. The BFP received the call for help from Banawa at 11:26 a.m. and declared the fire under control after two minutes of firefighting. The house was destroyed but the fire did not damage the other houses nearby. Damage to property was pegged at P25,000. Neighbors said Stefan was left alone in the house as his parents were working in a canteen at the Mactan Export Processing Zone in Lapu-Lapu City. Stefan was left in the care of his grandmother, who lives in an adjacent house. Stefan has two sisters, 8 and 11, but both were still in school when the fire occurred. The Cebu City Fire Department will invite Stefan’s parents for questioning. The fire at Day-as was believed to have started at the adjacent portion of Tura’s two-story duplex house, occupied by his relative Edwin Miñoza. Arson investigators are verifying reports that there were people inside Miñoza’s space that were allegedly in a pot session. Cebu City Fire Marshal Esmael Codilla said the fire was tapped at 3:25 p.m. and was immediately declared a third-alarm blaze. It was declared under control 22 minutes later. Fire investigator Felix Romero estimated the damage to property at P750,000. Firemen cited narrow access roads as their main problem. Packed meals were distributed to the fire victims Thursday, as well as cooking utensils, blankets, water jugs, canned goods and several kilos of rice. Councilor Gerardo Carillo, chairman of the City Council committee on social services, proposed a resolution declaring a state of calamity in Upper Day-as, but the council is not due to act on it until its regular session Wednesday next week. But he said that even without such a declaration, City Hall will extend P10,000 cash and burial assistance to the family of Tura. Construction materials will also be distributed to the victims so they can rebuild their homes on the lots they were occupying. - GMANews.TV