Barangay Sineguelasan and Barangay Alima residents in Bacoor City, Cavite, prepared for Typhoon Rolly, but they did not expect that fire will destroy their homes by the sea.
At around 10 pm on Sunday, a fire broke out in a residential area inhabited by fishers and mussels harvesters.
As many as 500 families lost their homes in the incident. They are asking for help to recover.
Most of the residents were in the evacuation center because they were evacuated due to the threat of a storm surge or wave brought by typhoon Rolly, but they returned when they heard that a large fire had engulfed the houses.
“Nakakapanghinayang kasi nasunog ‘yong bahay. Magde-December [na]. Walang matutuluyan sa New Year at Pasko,” said Marvin Gardoce,one of the Bacoor fire victims.
Power lines and liquefied petroleum gas tanks exploded.
The Bacoor fire took 3 hours before it was extinguished, reaching the fourth alarm.
Fire volunteers from Metro Manila also helped.
“Napakalakas ng hangin. At the same time, masikip ‘yong kalsada papasok. So doon kami nahirapan [sa pagpatay sa sunog]. At the same time, maraming nakaparadang sasakyan sa kalsada,” said Fire Superintendent Rene Bullos, director of Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Cavite.
Bacoor fire leaves 500 families homeless
Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said 18 road sections were damaged in infrastructure due to fallen trees and poles caused by the typhoon.
In terms of power supply, more than 53,000 homes in Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Bulacan, and Metro Manila are still without electricity, apart from the entire Catanduanes that are still brownout, according to Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi.