At least two individuals were injured after a fire razed five houses in Barangay Carmen, Cagayan de Oro.
According to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), one of the residents passed out while the other sustained first-degree burns.
“Naa ta’y duha kabuok nga na-injured… ang isa nakuyapan, ang usa naa dayon first degree burn,” Carmen Fire Station Chief, Senior Inspector Kyle Bryan Lauzon, said.
BFP said firefighters had a hard time penetrating the area because the road is narrow.
The fire was raised to third alarm.
Authorities said damage to property reached nearly P2 million.
According to one of the survivors, the fire may have started at a boarding house and may have spread quickly because most of the houses affected were made of light materials.
“Nahitabo dinhi nag-spark diri dako na ang kalayo diretso wala nami nabuhat lagi. muna tan-aw na lang ko dayun paabot na lang dayun ko kung unsay nahitabo,” Adrian Paul Durante, a resident, said.
The families affected said an electrical problem may have caused the fire but investigators have yet to confirm the theory.
“Tanan anggulo ang atong ginalantaw kay ongoing pa gyud ang investigation karon then naa pa ang atong mga investigator didto nga gatan-aw sa mga possible nga mga angle nga atong pwede (i-consider),” Lauzon said.