150 houses burned, 800 individuals displaced in Davao fire
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 3 October) – An estimated 800 individuals were displaced following a massive fire that destroyed around 150 houses in Barangay 21-C, Davao City, along Piapi Boulevard, on Thursday afternoon, according to an official from the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO).
In an interview on Friday, Gina A. Molon, supervisor for City Poblacion B of the CSWDO, said that as of 9:30 a.m., the social workers were still validating the number of affected residents, including renters.
Responders promptly set up an evacuation site at the covered court in Barangay 21-C and another at the covered court of adjacent Barangay 22 to accommodate displaced residents from Purok 8, Blocks 50, 57, and 64.
She said a total of 45 tents were put up in Barangay 21-C and 50 more in Barangay 22.
“Naay isa ka tent dire naay duha or tulo ka family. Naka master list mi og 200 house owners plus, wala pa nagpa-interview ang tanan. (One tent here is currently sheltering two to three families. We’ve already recorded over 200 house owners in our master list, but not all of them have been interviewed yet),” she said.
In an information released to the media via Messenger, Fire Senior Inspector Russell Jake Maranon, spokesperson for Davao City Fire District, said that the fire began at 4:43 p.m. and was extinguished almost three hours later, at 7:27 p.m. on Thursday.
As of 10:40 a.m. Friday, personnel of the Bureau of Fire Protection-Davao were still investigating the cause of the fire.
On Friday morning, residents returned to their burned houses, some of them salvaging roofing sheets from the debris.
In 2023, a massive fire also gutted several houses in Barangays 22 and 21-C, displacing around 1,000 residents.
Rosalinda Eban, 64, said she was not at home when the fire broke out.
She said the fire destroyed everything her family owned and left them with nothing.
Eban, a resident of the area for over 40 years, said her family is currently staying at the evacuation site in Barangay 21-C.
At the evacuation site, Mary Grace Grande, a mother of 5, shared that it felt as though everything crumbled after her family was hit by fire for the second time after a devastating one in 2023.
“Imbes na nagasugod og pondar ba, hurot tanan (Just as we were starting to rebuild, everything was lost),” the 44-year-old kakanin vendor said.
Her family only managed to bring a few clothes while escaping from the fire, she said.
Once it is allowed, Grande said her family would rebuild their house in the same area, saying they have “no choice” because they have nowhere else to go. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
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