By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

At least 15 houses were either damaged or destroyed following a fire at a residential area located near the Bacolod City Public Plaza, part of the city’s Barangay 12, Friday morning. 

Fire Chief Inspector Rodel Legaspi, fire marshal of the city’s Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), said the fire call was made by a traffic enforcer from the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office at around 9:36 a.m.

Based on an initial probe by arson investigators, Legaspi said the fire started at a two-storey boarding house owned by a certain Rody Agravante. As to the cause of the blaze, Legaspi said initial reports suggested that the curtains in the boarding house may have caught fire from an unattended lighted candle.

Statements coming from local residents, meanwhile, claimed that a child allegedly played with fire, although Legaspi said they are still looking into the report.

“We are still investigating and interviewing the witnesses,” the city fire marshal said.

Firefighters also had a hard time fighting the blaze as the area’s passage ways were very narrow, coupled with the winds which further fanned the blaze.

The smoke also caused “zero visibility” along San Juan Street heading towards the direction of the downtown area.

Meanwhile, 40 prisoners from nearby Police Station 1 were evacuated from their jail cells and transferred to another room due to the smoke billowing from the blaze.

Several employees from a popular shopping mall who are boarding in the area also temporarily stopped working and returned to their boarding houses to try to save whatever possessions they have.

A few firefighters suffered minor injuries while quelling the blaze, and at least one person was spotted being brought to a nearby ambulance after suffering from minor smoke inhalation.

Several elderly residents were also noted to have suffered a spike in their blood pressure, and were immediately given first aid by responding medics.

Fortunately, no one was killed in the incident, authorities said.

A fire out was declared 12:05 p.m. with property losses estimated at P100,000.

With the fire incident, the third in the city in a span of just two weeks, Legaspi again reminded the public to be more vigilant, noting that with the current dry, hot, and windy conditions being experienced in the city the possibility of a fire also increased./DGB, WDJ