By JEN BAYLON

A devastating fire engulfed five business establishments on 23rd Lacson Street in Bacolod City’s Barangay 5 on Saturday afternoon, June 15, causing damage worth P13.2 million.

Acting city fire marshal, Fire Superintendent Jenny Mae Cardinal Masip said three establishments were destroyed, while two were partially damaged.

Masip said the fire started in Exporia Restobar’s kitchen at 1:49 p.m., and immediately spread to neighboring establishments as the partitions were made of light materials.

A fire out was declared at 2:16 p.m.

Masip said the restobar’s cook suffered minor burns from the blaze.

Arson investigators are still investigating the cause of the fire.

Meanwhile, a separate blaze broke out in Negros Occidental’s San Carlos City on Friday afternoon, June 14.

Joe Ricalex Alingasa Jr., head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, in a radio interview, said that an ancestral house owned by City Mayor Renato Gustilo’s family, was destroyed in a fire which started at 3:30 p.m.

Alingasa said the blaze spread quickly to nearby Daisy ABC Foundation School.

A fire out was declared at 6:12 p.m.

An investigation is ongoing./JB, WDJ