GENERAL SANTOS CITY, (PNA) — A 19 year-old widow was killed while at least 49 families were displaced after a huge fire gutted down several houses in a crowded residential area here on Friday morning.
Eduardo Vargas, chair of Barangay Bula here, said the fire broke out at past 7 a.m. in one of the residential structures at a portion of the Santiago-Alunan area in their village and immediately spread towards several other houses.
Citing accounts from witnesses, he said the fire reportedly started at the second level of a boarding house owned Nelia Abapo.
Vargas said it immediately engulfed the entire boarding house, which includes the rented room of a widow identified as Jackie Lasara.
Lasara, who originally hails from Habitat village of Barangay Mabuhay here, was then sleeping and eventually got trapped in her room amid the raging fire, he said.
The victim, who lost her husband two months ago, left behind three young children.
“Some residents tried to rescue her but it was already too late as the fire spread very fast,” Vargas told reporters.
Dr. Agripino Dacera, City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office head, said in a radio interview that a total of 15 houses were razed to the ground in the incident.
Among those gutted down was the house of former World Boxing Organization Super Flyweight champion Marvin Sonsona.
Dacera said the affected residents are currently taking temporarily shelter at the gymnasium of Barangay Bula.
City Social Welfare and Development Office personnel initially distributed food packs and other relief items to the evacuees, he said.
Dacera said City Mayor Ronnel Rivera gave the go signal to provide financial assistance to the victims to allow them to relocate and acquire some basic necessities.
“We will provide them all the necessary assistance so they can start anew with their lives,” he added.