By CESAR JOLITO III

A residential fire in Bacolod City’s Barangay 10 displaced 11 families, composed of 38 individuals, after at least 11 homes were damaged on Wednesday night, February 11.

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) – Bacolod said the fire broke out in Purok Magti-ayon and quickly spread through closely built houses.

Based on a post-incident assessment by the Bacolod City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO), six houses were completely razed, while five others sustained partial damage.

The BFP managed to bring the blaze under control, which had already quickly spread to neighboring houses made of light and concrete materials.

A fireout was declared at 10:05 p.m.

Initial reports cited fewer structures involved, but further inspection confirmed the wider extent of the damage.

Meanwhile, BFP said 21-year-old El Pfely Cristobal sustained a laceration on her right middle finger, and she received immediate medical attention.

In response to the incident, personnel from the city’s Department of Social Services and Development were deployed to assist affected families.

Relief operations included the distribution of food packs, hygiene kits and support for temporary shelter, while DRRMO teams coordinated on-site response efforts and conducted damage and needs assessments.

Initial estimates placed the cost of damage at about P75,000.

Fire investigators are continuing their probe to determine the cause of the fire./CJ, WDJ