MindanaoToday.com | CAUSED BY EL NIŃO, WITHIN 7 MONTHS P158-M properties lost to 1,036 fires in Normin
By Uriel Quilinguing
The Bureau of Fire Protection in Northern Mindanao (BFP-10) has recorded 1,036 fire incidents since January this year that damaged over P158-million worth of properties, surpassing 2023 annual statistics this early.
Fire Chief Superintendent Alma Abacahin, regional director of BFP-10, said the high incidence of fires could be attributed to the scorching temperature caused by the El Niño.
Characterized by the warming of the Pacific Ocean surface, the El Niño watch was announced in June 2023, peaked in February, March and April, and gradually dissipated in May this year. Historically, it occurs every two to seven years.
Grass and rubbish fires were almost a daily occurrence in grassy open spaces in the uplands of the city and elsewhere in the region which, if not contained, pose threat to residential structures and mixed-use buildings.
SELF-ASSESSMENT
Reporting the BFP-10’s performance in a Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas on Tuesday, July 30, Abacahin said she can assure the public their presence at the fire scene within five minutes upon receipt of a call for assistance. Their access to congested areas to contain the blaze, however, would depend on accessibility and flow of traffic.
She admitted there have been instances their firetrucks would bog down because these are not all new, but those from nearby fire stations would automatically take over and respond.
Their success, she said, depends largely on reliability of information relayed to them and readiness of the volunteer fire brigades, knowing their limited capabilities.
Abacahin said the proposal to acquire an aerial firefighting ladder for the region has been temporarily shelved because it’s expensive, the cost may be enough to purchase six firetrucks. Also, if air support is needed, the BFP-10 could tap the services of the Aviation Command or the Philippine Air Force.
The BFP-10, she said, is set to receive 11 more firetrucks, in addition to its currrent 151 units in 158 fire stations across the region–of five provices, nine cities, and 84 municipalities.
RESILIENCY TESTS
Records from the BFP Cagayan de Oro Fire District indicate fires had claimed two lives in the city this year: A person with disability (PWD) of Barangay Tablon on July 9, this year, and a one-year old boy of Barangay Balulang on February 29 this year. In both tragic events, over a dozen families lost their dwellings.
Another notable incident that caught public attention was the June 23 early morning fire at the VIP Hotel which is bordered by Don Apolinar Velez, Justiniano R. Borja, and Julio Pacana Streets.
Were it not of the immediate response of firefighters and functionality of the hotel’s sprinkler sustem, damage on the five-level building could have been beyond repair, said one of its owners. The management has assured its loyal patrons it will reopen soon.
On January 6, at Barangay 38, situated within the Cogon Public Market area, 31 tenants lost their commercial spaces and goods at the Alvarez Arcade. Total structural damage estimate was P2 million.
At Barangay Nazareth, 45 houses went up in smoke, rendering over 600 persons homeless on February 15, this year. Six other fires occured in Cagayan de Oro in the past seven months this year.
Last year, the BFP-10 tallied only 895 fires in Northern Mindanao that damaged the structures of residential and commercial buildings valued at a little over P116 million.
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