Christmas morning fire kills 12-year-old boy in Cebu

Mars W. Mosqueda Jr.

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Christmas morning fire kills 12-year-old boy in Cebu
The blaze on Tuesday, December 25, also leaves hundreds of families homeless

CEBU CITY, Philippines – A boy who allegedly fell asleep inside an internet cafe died in a blaze that destroyed at least 430 houses in Barangay Duljo-Fatima in this city early Tuesday morning, December 25.

The fatality, identified by authorities as 12-year-old Cyrus John Ferras, had asked permission from his mother, Teresa, to go to a nearby internet cafe to play after the family’s Christmas celebration. Witnesses, however, claimed that Ferras had fallen asleep inside the cafe.

Teresa told reporters that some of those who were inside the internet shop woke her son when the fire broke out, but the boy allegedly went back to sleep. Fire investigators later found his charred body where the internet cafe used to stand.

Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office head Nagiel Bañacia said the fire started in Sitio Buli at 4:11 am. The blaze spread to 3 other sitios – Ponyang, Mansanitas, and San Pedro – before it was placed under control at 6:26 am.

When the smoke subsided, 571 families were left homeless.

Initial investigation showed that the blaze may have started at the house of a certain Rene Agwanta in Sitio Buli.

Agwanta denied the claim, saying that his wife woke him up and told him their neighbor’s house was on fire.

But authorities, including Barangay Duljo-Fatima Captain Elmer Abella, doubt Agwanta’s claim because their neighbor’s house has been empty for the last two months.

Fire officers are still determining the cause of the blaze, but they suspect it may have been due to faulty electrical wiring.

Cebu City Fire Marshall Noel Abapon said the lack of access roads hampered the firefighting operation. The affected areas are densely populated, with most of the houses made of light materials.

The cost of damage was pegged at P3 million. – Rappler.com

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