20120423 Philippines Fire strikes NCotabato town during power blackout
Philippines Apr 23 2012 “Houses”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 1 to 29 Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Fire strikes NCotabato town during power blackout
Updated: 2012-04-24-11:31
MANILA, Philippines – Fire gutted 20 houses and stores along the national highway of Kabacan town in North Cotabato province on Monday night.
Senior Fire Inspector Ibrahim Guiamalon, Kabacan town fire bureau chief, said the fire brokeout at around 7:30 p.m.
Guiamalon said the fire originated at the back portion of Pinpin Enterprise, located along Aglipay Street, Barangay Poblacion.
He said that majority of the houses and business establishment gutted in the two-hour fire were made of light materials. Firefighters were able to put out the fire before it spread to a rural bank and other stores along the highway.
Investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fire.
Guimalon said that the fire took place while power was out in the whole town of Kabacan.
Firefighters said that they had a hard time entering the areas that were being razed by the fire because it was too dark.
Several areas in Mindanao are experiencing rotating blackouts because of the power supply problem in the region.
The national government has assured that it is doing everything it can to solve the power crisis.
Websource: Philstar
http://www.philstar.com/nation/article.aspx?publicationsubcategoryid=200&articleid=800269