By JEN BAYLON

Sixteen houses were gutted after a fire hit Purok Paglaum in Bacolod City’s Barangay 17 at 8:15 p.m. on Friday, February 14, leaving 57 individuals homeless.

Nine houses were destroyed while seven others suffered partial damage in a 38-minute fire, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Bacolod reported.

The blaze caused an estimated damage worth P281,750, the BFP-Bacolod said.

Seventeen affected families are currently staying at the Barangay 17 Day Care Center.

Barangay 17 Captain Rogelio Pabiania, Jr. said the fire allegedly started from a boarding house on FY Manalo St., where a boarder lit a candle for a child who died from tetanus.

Fire Supt. Jenny Mae Masip said the blaze came from one of the five rooms on the second floor of the house.

It quickly spread to neighboring homes, which were made of light materials, in the densely populated area.

A fire out was declared at 8:56 p.m.

Nobody was hurt in the blaze, BFP-Bacolod said.

An investigation into the cause of the fire is being conducted./JB, WDJ