Baby Girl Hurt In Carcar Fire

[Medic Mike]

A THREE-WEEK-OLD infant was wounded after a fire broke out in their house in the mountain barangay of Calidngan, Carcar City early yesterday morning.

Melgie Sato, who is 21 days old, suffered second-degree burns in her arms and legs. She is confined in the pediatric ward of the Cebu Provincial Hospital in Carcar City.

Parity Grace Del Pilar, a staff nurse, told Sun.Star Cebu the girl is now out of harm’s way.

“Safe naman siya. Kinahanglan lang siya i-admit kay baby man gud (She just needs to be admitted since she’s still a baby),” she said, adding that Melgie was treated with antibiotics and was given an anti-tetanus shot.

FO3 Felizardo Quijano of the Carcar City Fire Station said they received the call for help at 7:54 a.m.

When they arrived at the site, the one-story house owned by Emilio Sato was already destroyed.

Firefighters were able to douse the flames at 8:12 a.m.

Damage estimates

Damage to property was placed at P200,000.

The baby’s father, when interviewed by a fire investigator, said his live-in partner Grace and Melgie were alone in the house when smoke appeared on the ceiling, followed by flames.

Emilio was at a neighbor’s house when he was told about the fire. He rushed back home and managed to save Grace and their daughter.

The couple then rushed Melgie to the hospital.

Quijano, in a phone interview, said the fire may have been caused by electrical short circuit.

In another incident, some 20 families were displaced by the fire that struck Sitio Superior in Barangay Looc, Mandaue City last Friday.

The City Social Welfare Services (CSWS) said the victims are temporarily staying in the barangay gym as they await financial assistance to find new shelters.

According to the Bureau of Fire Protection-Mandaue City, the fire destroyed a two-story apartment and a warehouse. It also damaged two houses and a repair shop.

The cost of damage was pegged at P1 million.

CSWS Head Violeta Cavada said relief goods have been distributed to the fire victims.

Barangay assistance

She said the number of victims may not warrant declaring the sitio under a state of calamity by the City. “Financial assistance may have to come from the barangay,” she said.

It took firefighters 12 hours to put out the fire, which erupted around noon. The flames were contained in 30 minutes.

However, they returned to the area yesterday morning after the fire rekindled inside the BG Dionisio Marketing warehouse where the flames started.

City Fire Marshal Joel Abarquez said the warehouse contained inflammable materials like butane.

They are still investigating what triggered the fire, but Abarquez said they are looking at electrical misuse as the cause.

It was the second fire to hit the sitio in less than a month.

 

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2014/08/10/baby-girl-hurt-carcar-fire-358867