By CESAR JOLITO III

At least 34 houses were affected by a fire that broke out at Purok Tambipalad in Bacolod City’s Barangay 10, leaving 28 homes totally destroyed and displacing dozens of families on Saturday afternoon, January 24.

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Bacolod said the fire started at 2:19 p.m. at the residence of Aaron Tupas.

BFP said the blaze rapidly spread to neighboring houses, many of which were constructed from light and mixed concrete materials.

Firefighters raised the incident to third alarm as the flames engulfed a densely populated area.

Several BFP fire trucks, along with volunteer fire units, were deployed, but responders faced challenges accessing the scene due to narrow passageways.

Firefighters were forced to extend and manually connect water hoses to reach the burning structures.

The fire was declared under control at 3:28 p.m.

Initial damage to property was estimated at approximately P2.37 million.

No injuries or fatalities were reported.

Based on BFP records, the fire affected at least 55 families composed of 199 individuals.

Of these, 18 families were renters, while three were sharers.

As of 7:00 a.m. yesterday six houses were listed as partially damaged.

Arson investigators are continuing their probe to determine the cause of the fire.

In response, the Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD) immediately provided food packs to displaced residents temporarily housed at the barangay evacuation center.

DSSD head Richelle Verdeprado-Mangga said validation of the total number of affected families is still ongoing.

Mayor Greg Gasataya also went to the fire site to assess the situation and ensure that adequate assistance is extended to families affected by the incident./CJ, WDJ