22 houses razed in Bacolod fires during blackout

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — A total of 22 houses were destroyed in two separate fire incidents here from Wednesday night until early Thursday amid a citywide power outage caused by Typhoon Tino.

According to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)–Bacolod, the first blaze broke out at around 8:56 p.m. Wednesday in Purok Riverside, Barangay Banago.

The fire razed 12 houses and partially damaged three others, affecting 15 families or about 30 individuals.

No injuries were reported.

The fire was declared out at 9:16 p.m., with property damage estimated at PHP 100,000.

Several minutes later, another fire occurred in Purok Paghidaet, Barangay Tangub, at around 12:38 a.m. Thursday.

It completely gutted five houses and partially damaged two, displacing 14 families or roughly 30 residents.

Firefighters declared the blaze under control at 1:01 a.m., with losses pegged at PHP 75,000.

Earlier that evening, an overheated generator set triggered a blaze at an inn in Barangay 26 around 8:26 p.m., causing approximately PHP 15,000 in damages.

Arson investigators are still determining the causes of the fires.

Several parts of Bacolod remain without electricity after strong winds from the typhoon toppled power lines and uprooted trees.

Power restoration efforts are ongoing.