Hundreds homeless in huge Jolo fire

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Hundreds of villagers were left homeless in a huge fire that broke out Monday and spread in several areas in Sulu’s capital town of Jolo.

The fire burned dozens of houses, some on stilts; and small establishments in the village called Takot and Tulay Zone 1 in Chinese Pier. The conflagration sent villagers scampering for safety and others saved as many belongings they could. 

An exodus of people fleeing the area blocked the streets and making it difficult for fire trucks to pass through.  Armed with pails of seawater, many villagers tried, but failed to stop the fire from spreading in their neighborhood. The scene was chaotic, some were crying and others frantically searched for their family members.

Soldiers and policemen helped to control the crowd and assisted in restoring order in the area. A video posted on Facebook page Pisbuk Tausug shows the extent of the fire and can be accessed on this URL - https://www.facebook.com/PisbukTausug/videos/2524492591012415/?t=3

From a safe distance, other villagers took videos and pictures of the huge fire, a tower of thick, black smoke billowed into the blue sky and posted them on Facebook in an effort to pool help and donations of food and clothing for those affected by the inferno.

Villagers also carried huge plastic drums on their vehicles and pumped water from the sea to help fire fighters who braved the heat and soaring temperatures of the day for hours until they doused the flames.

There was no immediate report of casualties, although an investigation has begun to determine the cause of the fire. Governor Sakur Tan has quickly dispatched social workers to attend to the fire victims.

In July 2018, a huge fire also swept in Jolo’s neighborhood and gutted over 3,000 houses that left more than 30,000 people without homes. (Zamboanga Post)

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