By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

At least three homes were damaged following two separate fire incidents yesterday morning in Bacolod City Barangays Sum-ag and 13.

Based on information from the Bacolod City Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), the first fire was recorded past 5:30 a.m. along San Antonio Avenue in the San Sebastian Village, located in Barangay Sum-ag.

When firefighters arrived, two homes owned by the Lamela family were already ablaze.

The family was able to escape the burning houses as firefighters managed to quell the blaze within minutes.

When arson investigators interviewed the family, they determined a washing machine that was left running may have caused the blaze.

Minutes after a “fire out” was declared, around 7:00 a.m., a fire incident in Purok Bagong Unlad in Barangay 13 prompted firefighters to respond.

Firefighters also managed to quell the blaze within minutes of their arrival, although the two-story house owned by the Ortigosa family was damaged extensively.

The Ortigosa family claimed one of their air conditioning units caught fire, which quickly spread through the curtains.

Arson investigators, meanwhile, said the fire in Barangay 13 is still undergoing investigation.

The amount of damage from the Barangay 13 fire was estimated at P80,000./DGB, WDJ