ILIGAN City — A massive fire swept through a densely populated neighborhood in Barangay Saray on Thursday afternoon, displacing over 100 families and marking the city’s 11th major blaze this January alone.

The fire broke out at 3:45 pm on Jan. 22 at the home of Josefina Rivera in Purok 10A, Roosevelt. Feeding on light construction materials, the flames quickly gutted 62 structures and partially damaged 17 other homes, including several occupied by multiple renting families.

BARANGAY SARAY FIRE. At least 114 families were displaced when a fourth-alarm fire ravaged Purok 10A, Roosevelt, in Iligan City on Thursday, Jan. 22. Photo by Bonita L. Ermac

Chief Investigator SFO4 Romano D. Tablon said the blaze rapidly escalated to a fourth alarm, requiring reinforcements from fire stations in neighboring Lanao del Norte and Misamis Oriental.

Officials estimated the structural damage at P675,000. While no deaths were reported, six civilians sustained injuries.

Barangay Saray Captain Nietzsche T. Largo declared the entire purok under a state of calamity, with over 300 individuals now homeless.

The Iligan City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (ICDRRMO) and the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWD) immediately set up 30 modular tents and distributed initial relief goods to the 114 affected families.

Amid the ruins, victims like Leonora B. Alterado pleaded for financial aid to help rebuild, expressing fear that authorities might not allow them to return to the property.

AFTERMATH IN SARAY. A massive fire guts homes in Purok 10A, Roosevelt, Barangay Saray, on Thursday, Jan. 22. The blaze, which is Iligan City's 11th fire this month, displaced at least 114 families. Photo by Bonita L. Ermac

The Bureau of Fire Protection noted this was the 11th fire incident in Iligan City this month. Fire officials emphasized the critical, life-saving value of firewalls, noting that several homes equipped with proper fire protection were spared from the devastation.