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— The Editors

Fire destroys 20 homes in Cotabato City

By Edwin Fernandez

March 29, 2022, 2:49 pm

<p><strong>HUGE FIRE.</strong> Residents try to save their valuables during a fire that hit a residential area in Cotabato City on Monday (March 28, 2022). Damage to properties was pegged at PHP500,000. <em>(Photo courtesy of Alim Sander)</em></p>

HUGE FIRE. Residents try to save their valuables during a fire that hit a residential area in Cotabato City on Monday (March 28, 2022). Damage to properties was pegged at PHP500,000. (Photo courtesy of Alim Sander)

COTABATO CITY – An unattended electric fan triggered a fire here that gutted about 20 houses made of light materials in Barangay Poblacion 4, authorities said Tuesday.  

Fire Chief Inspector Lucily Banac-Jusay, city fire marshal, said the Monday afternoon blaze was the first to hit the city this month.

“Nobody was hurt, all our firefighters were unharmed, no civilians were injured,”  Jusay said.

Henry Macion, village chair of Poblacion 4, said the 3 p.m. fire started at the boarding house owned by Celso Celis and quickly spread to adjacent houses in Purok Martinez.

“We are still determining the real cause of the conflagration,” Jusay said, adding that initial estimates by investigators placed the extent of damage at PHP500,000.

Jusay reminded the public that all electric appliances should be unplugged when not in use to prevent fire.

“We highlight tips to prevent fire during this fire prevention month, but our prevention actions must be year-round,” she said. (PNA)

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