Our View of the Fire (Leon Garcia, October 10th)

reposted from Dog Eats Avocado - October 13, 2008
photo at left by Yas D. Ocampo, photos in news report by Edgar Arro

It was the guard at the gate, I think, who told us at the Editorial Office that there was an on-going fire at a place called "Carpenter" (Leon Garcia, actually) in Agdao.
The smoke that was visible from our point of view showed how spread out the fire had become.
As kuya edgar, our photographer, headed towards his motorcycle to rush towards the area, Kuya joey (a reporter from the office) and i went out of our building to look, mistaking the smoke for rain clouds.
Good thing kuya joey kept a camera with him: i had this idea of taking a photograph of the fire at a perspective from a nearby hotel building for an aerial view.
The desk manager was more than helpful: he asked one of the security detail (and his german shepherd) to escort us to a fire escape that had a view of the Davao City cityscape, only that at that afternoon the smoke almost hogged the space where the blue used to be.
That same date, a man stood atop a communications tower in Matina Aplaya and threatened to jump to his death. (There is no supporting article for this one, my editors don't allow suicide reports on the paper.)
Another day at the office.
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Fire guts 100 houses, 2 school buildings: report
by Jose G. Dalumpines

A FIRE of an unknown origin razed about 100 houses and two school buildings yesterday afternoon at Corias Village, Brgy Leon Garcia, Agdao District.
SF02 Orencio Grado, arson investigator of the Bureau of Fire Protection 11, said in his initial report that the fire was first started at the ground floor of the house owned by Inday and Roberto Guemera. However, he said that the cause of the fire has yet be determined.
Grado said firefighters from the Central Fire Station and the Filipino-Chinese Fire Brigade responded to the scene upon receiving initial alarm on the incident.
He said the fire was controlled at 4 pm and was declared fire out by Senior Supt. Rico Neil Kwantiu, the ground commander of the firefighters.
Grado estimated the damages to property at about P5 million.
Anecito Panaungon, president of the Leon Garcia National High School, said the wind was so strong that it caused the fire to reach and engulf one school building that housed six classrooms for second year students and another building housing the records section and guidance center and three classrooms for fourth year high school students.
He observed the firefighters were prompt in responding to the incident but the strong winds and high temperature hampered their efforts.
“Strong winds hastened the fire which razed two of our important buildings,” Panaungon said.
Even a rescue helicopter from the Philippine Air Force (PAF) assisted efforts to put off the fire by dousing it with water from the sea. JGD



(News article from Mindanao Times, Page 2, October 11 issue.)