FIRE AFTERMATH. Residents sift through the charred remains of their homes on Burgos Street in Barangay 7, Cagayan de Oro City, a day after a fire destroyed seven houses and damaged three others. The blaze, which burned for nearly three hours, left an estimated ₱8 million in property damage as authorities continued investigating its cause. Photo by Ben Balce
CAGAYAN de Oro City — Seven houses were destroyed, and three others were damaged after a fourth-alarm fire swept through Burgos Street in Barangay 7 on Tuesday, leaving an estimated ₱8 million in damage and keeping firefighters battling the blaze for nearly three hours.
The Cagayan de Oro City Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said it received the fire call at 5:24 p.m.
Fire Senior Inspector Johnrey Donasco, operations chief of the city BFP, said firefighters initially declared a second alarm because many of the houses were made of wood, allowing the fire to spread quickly.
The fire was raised to a third alarm at 5:27 p.m. and a fourth alarm at 5:41 p.m. as flames intensified.
Firefighters placed the blaze under control at around 7 p.m. before declaring fire out at 8:22 p.m.
The BFP initially estimated the damage to houses at ₱1.25 million while crews were still assessing the scene.
After a more thorough evaluation, authorities revised the estimated total damage to about ₱8 million.
Seven houses were destroyed, while three others sustained partial damage. The fire burned about 800 square meters of the residential area.
The city BFP deployed eight fire trucks, a Special Rescue Force, and an ambulance to the scene.
Firefighters were assisted by 10 volunteer fire brigades, including teams from Gaisano, Oro Integrated Cooperative (OIC), Chinese Volunteer Fire Brigade, CLIMBS, GAMA, Klarex, CEPALCO and Limketkai.
Donasco said one fire truck from BFP Fire Station 1-A was damaged during the firefighting operation.
No deaths or injuries were immediately reported.
The Cagayan de Oro City Bureau of Fire Protection is investigating the cause of the fire, while authorities continue to assess the full extent of the losses as affected families begin recovering from the incident. (Ben Balce, Editorial Lead)
