By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

A minor is being blamed for yesterday morning’s blaze at a residential area at Purok Bayanihan in Bacolod City’s Barangay Taculing.

Based on reports issued by the Bacolod City Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), along with eyewitness accounts, the fire started around 6:45 a.m. at a home owned by Analyn Balsomo.

As the house was made of light materials, the flames quickly spread to nearby house owned by Jolly Alabamo, along with damaging a separate home owned by Jose Pannelo.

The BFP, along with the city’s volunteer fire brigade, managed to quickly douse the blaze and a “fire out” was declared within 15 minutes.

Local residents immediately blamed Balsomo’s child for causing the blaze, claiming, prior to the blaze, they saw a lit candle inside the house.

At the time of the fire, the minor was allegedly spotted playing computer games at internet shop.

The child was later taken in for a stress debriefing by local barangay officials, where he was found to be traumatized from the reaction of angry residents.

Aside from the two destroyed homes, three motorcycles were also lost in the blaze.

Damages are estimated at P50,000.

The BFP, meanwhile, has refused to comment over the claims, stating, they are not yet ruling out other possible causes of the blaze./DGB, WDJ