ZAMBOANGA CITY–The City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) on Sunday distributed relief goods to 66 families displaced by the fire that hit the commercial center of Barangay Curuan, this city.
CSWDO Chief Socorro Rojas on Monday said the relief goods included food packs, bottled water and non-food items like used clothes, blankets, mats, jerrycans, and kitchen utensils.
Rojas said the 66 affected families, consisting of 188 individuals, are temporarily sheltered at the covered court of the barangay and with their families living nearby.
Supt. Jufel Brañanola, city fire marshal, said that 15 houses and 50 market stalls made of light materials were razed by the fire that broke out around 8:49 p.m. Saturday in Barangay Curuan.
Brañanola said the estimated cost of the damage caused by the fire that reached fourth alarm is PHP3 million.
He said the fire started at the residence of Jesus Pagotaisidro and rapidly spread towards the market site of Barangay Curuan.
The barangay of Curuan, located 50 kilometers east of City Hall, is one of the business growth centers in the eastern part of this city.
Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar and Dr. Elmeir Jade Apolinario, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) chief, have proceeded to the fire scene to assess the situation in the area. (Teofilo Garcia, Jr/PNA)
