22 homes destroyed in fire in Cadiz City, Negros Occidental

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — Twenty-two houses were destroyed in a fire that hit a coastal slum area in Barangay Zone 4, Cadiz City, Negros Occidental on Wednesday.

Fire Officer 2 April Shayne Ausan, chief arson investigator of the Cadiz City Fire Station, said they received a fire call at 6:55 a.m.

The destroyed homes were made of mixed concrete and light materials situated close to each other, she added.

Dense, closely built housing in informal settlement areas is a recurring fire hazard in Philippine cities, as the proximity of structures made of light and flammable materials allows flames to spread rapidly from one home to the next.

Ausan said 31 families were displaced by the blaze and are temporarily staying at the barangay covered court.

Arson investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fire, which affected 700 square meters of the area.

Fire out was declared at 8:01 a.m.

No injuries were reported.

The Bureau of Fire Protection-Cadiz has yet to determine the cost of damage.

Ausan said this is the second fire incident to hit the village — the last was in 2016, affecting the adjacent purok.