‘Avoid illegal connections to prevent fires’

By: Emme Rose Santiagudo

THE Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-Iloilo City again reminded the public to avoid illegal connections following consecutive fire incidents over the weekend.

“Paulit-ulit namin sinasabi sa opisina, dapat maingat yung mga tao. Malaking factor yung mga tao, indi lang iasa sa mga kompanya kasi ginagampanan naman nila ang kanilang mga tungkulin, dapat ang mga tao tumingin at mag-ingat,” Fire Chief Inspector Christopher Regencia, BFP-Iloilo City fire marshal, said in a phone interview on Monday.

Regencia said they observed that the recent fire incidents in the city were mostly caused by illegal connections.

“Yung nangyari sa Zamora wala silang kuntador pero meron siyang wiring ibig sabihin may illegal wire,” he said.

Regencia was referring to a fire incident that broke out in Zamora extension of Brgy. Concepcion, City Proper last Sunday where four houses were razed to the ground.

According to Regencia, illegal connections are usually the causes of fire.

“Kadalasan ang mga illegal connections ang cause ng sunog kasi kung legal ang connection malabo na magkakasunog kasi tama ang computation ng kuryente,” he furthered.

 

POLE FIRES

BFP-Iloilo City also responded to four minor incidents involving electric utility poles of Panay Electric Company (PECO) over the weekend.

The first fire was reported at 1:16 pm on Saturday at South Fundidor Molo district and was put off six minutes later.

Another electric utility pole of PECO ignited at 3:08 am on October 20, 2019 near the Land Transportation Office (LTO) at Barangay Tabuc Suba, Jaro district and another similar incident was recorded around 5:54 am of same day at Brgy. Sto. Domingo, City proper.

Both areas were reported to have rampant illegal connections, according to PECO Administrative Manager Marcelo Cacho in a statement issued on Monday.

On the afternoon of the same day, another fire was caused by exposed consumer lines in another part of the city.

Cacho said multiple illegal connections, incorrect telco bundling, and even wayward trees were some of the factors that caused the electric pole fires.

“No one was affected. It was literally the pole and the line that caught fire,” he said.

Regencia said that post fires were possibly caused by wires that were exposed to trees and overloading of some connections.

“Yung kuryente na nanggaling sa poste, nanggaling sa puno ng kahoy or sumagi sa dahon at overloading na nangyayari yung capacity ng poste, yung transformer na nandyan hindi na kaya,” he said.

While spaghetti wires can be a factor, Regencia reiterated that telco and electrical companies cannot be blamed for the fire incidents.

Hence, he stressed that there should be a group effort between the companies and consumers.

“Pinaka-advise namin dapat iwasan nila ang mga illegal connections. Yung sa mga companies, willing naman kami to help if they need assistance. It should be a group effort,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, PECO urged consumers to directly report sightings of jumpers or illegal connections to their office or to the Philippine National Police (PNP).