By Michelle Ducut
A fire on New Year’s Day destroyed 26 houses and a church in Camp 4, Kennon Road, Tuba, Benguet, displacing 36 families and resulting in one fatality.
The blaze, which began around 5:30 a.m., consumed approximately 2,500 square meters of property, causing an estimated PHP37.5 million in damages. Among the structures destroyed was an Iglesia ni Cristo worship hall.
Firefighters declared the fire under control by 7 a.m., but during clearing operations, responders recovered the body of Eric Dili Pacio, a native of Mayag Bauko, Tadian, Mountain Province.
The fire also prompted the temporary closure of Kennon Road to vehicular traffic, according to Col. Pelita Tacio, deputy chief of the Police Regional Office-Cordillera Community Relations Office.
The Metro BLISTT Development Authority, led by Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong, directed the road closure to facilitate debris clearing. Investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing.