LAOAG CITY – A resident of Badoc, Ilocos Norte was left in shambles after fire broke out in their house on a rainy Tuesday evening and razed everything in it, including the money he has been saving for his son's medical checkup.
Senior Fire Officer 3 Bernard Agcaoili, acting municipal fire marshal of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Badoc town, said Wednesday that based on the initial investigation, the fire at the house of Edmar Salvador in Barangay Canaan stemmed from the overcharging of mobile phones and at least three rechargeable electric fans in one of the rooms at about 6:15 p.m.
Initial damage was estimated at PHP500,000, including the PHP300,000 cash that Salvador was going to use for his 30-year-old son's eye checkup.
No one was hurt during the incident as Salvador and his family had slept over at the house of a neighboring relative that night.
As the house was made of light materials, the blaze spread to a neighboring house.
Agcaoili said at least two fire trucks from the BFP Badoc and Pinili stations responded. It took firefighters more than two hours to put out the fire at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The BFP reminded the public to double-check fire safety standards and always observe the basic fire code of the Philippines.
According to the BFP, most, if not all, fire accidents in public or private establishments have been attributed to faulty electrical wirings. (PNA)