Saturday, January 28, 2012

The Roof is on Fire!

I was preparing lunch earlier when I heard our neighbor living in the third floor came in and shouting something I could not understand. She was running frantically back and forth so I asked her what was happening and why is she on a panic mode. She told me that a house behind our apartment is on fire! 

I immediately finished the food I am cooking and shut off the gas tank. Then, I went to our rooftop to see how big the fire was. I was taken aghast when I saw how big the fire was! Right that instant, I returned to our unit and instructed the kids not to go out and stay inside the house. I told them the house on the other side of the street is on fire and we have to pack our things, just in case we need to evacuate. 

Without any second thought, I sent my husband a text message, posted status on my Facebook wall, and looked for a friend who is currently online and lives within the area to seek assistance should we need to bring our things out of the house. I would not be able to carry those big cabinets and tables alone! Horace was correct when he said "Your own property is concerned when your neighbor's house is on fire." 

While waiting for a response from my husband and friends, I instructed my kids to bring their school bags, uniforms, and shoes out of the house. I looked for the folders where we keep all our important documents, which I placed inside a large bag together with other essential things that we need to bring. Afterwards, I went around the neighborhood to inspect the extent of the fire. 


It was a good thing my husband was in Las Pinas area when he received my message so he was able to arrive home in less than half an hour.Janese of Lakwatsera Mom saw my Facebook status and called my husband to inform him. She also called to check on how we were doing. Thank you, friend! 

My uncle who lives on the next subdivision was also online so I was able to send him a message and asked him to send another text message to my husband as he did not reply to the text message I sent. My mom's cousin, upon hearing of our situation, also arrived to render help. The power of technology! 

Firetrucks arrived right away and they were able to stop the fire from spreading to nearby houses although a couple of houses were already affected because nobody noticed the fire until it had gone big. Firetrucks from nearby towns of Imus and Kawit also arrived to assist the local firemen. However, despite the efforts of both our neighbors and the firemen, more than 10 houses were burned down. 

When we saw that the fire was already under control, I went to check the damages further, I saw our neighbors' belongings and personal stuff by the roadside. From our roof deck, we also saw other neighbors as they bring their properties to safety. 


I realized one of the houses that was gutted down by the fire was the store where my children buy their favorite longganisa. I felt so sorry for the store owner and her family so I immediately approached her, comforted her, and offered some help. They were not able to save anything except the clothes they were wearing. 

According to Manang Sabel, the store owner, the fire started on one of the houses behind theirs. When they saw the fire, she instantly called her daughter-in-law with her newborn baby to go out of the house. She also brought the physically-challenged child who lives in the burning house outside. She was unable to go inside the house anymore when they went out as the fire had started to eat up their home. They now do not have anything except the clothes on their bodies. As the old adage goes, "It is okay to be robbed 10 times than your house burned down." 

The fire went under control after two hours but our electricity supply was put off until around 4PM. Meralco, the local electric distributor, shut down the supply for safety purposes as there were wires that may have been damaged. As a matter of fact, we saw a transformer sparked while we were watching the fire being put off on the rooftop of our apartment building. 


Tomorrow, I will be looking for Manang Sabel and we will bring them some of our old clothes and some personal stuff to help them restart with their lives. I understand how it feels because my sister and her family were also a fire victim a few years back. But that is another story. I will ask my children to accompany me so that they will see for themselves how life becomes when you lose your house and everything you have on it. This is also another way of teaching them the value of sharing and generosity. 

16 comments:

  1. OMG. This situation is a thing that is hard to manage at all. Gladly the fire was shut here down :)
    -----
    Regards, Edmar @ EDMARATION

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kaya dito sa bahay kaunting amoy lang ng usok alerto agad kami.

    ReplyDelete
  3. wow 10 houses! it's a good thing that your house was not affected. yeah the only thing you can do now is help the victims. I am also a homeowner and thinking about all your belongings and your financial investment putting it up, I will be devastated to see it all in ashes. ;(

    ReplyDelete
  4. good thing that FB friends are there to inform your hubby I will also do the same pack the things that we may need

    ReplyDelete
  5. Grabe! Nakakatakot talaga kapag fire na ang haharapin mo. Good thing you're attentive and you didn't panic.

    ReplyDelete
  6. good that ur house was not included but still those affected need help...quick thinking on ur side to seek help thru FB and txt...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh my, it's good that your apartment building wasn't affected but it's really sad that there are now people in your area without a home and even personal belongings because of the fire. I'll definitely offer a prayer that the fire victims can recover soon. And you are really kind to offer help to your neighbor, as well as teach your children important life values.. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I think I won't be ble to go online or finish what I was doing if I hear someone would say that the NEIGHBOR's house is on fire. hehe The first thing that will come to my mind is my daughter's location and grab and lay a blanket then put important things onto it. grabe sanay na sanay maghakot? It's really scary to be in that situation.

    ReplyDelete
  9. "House is on fire!" This frantic shout reminds me of my first hand experience on how I acted to respond to a fire call when I saw in my very eyes the big dark smoke emanating from a commercial center in our place. It was 9 pm and I was sleeping when my wife woke up for she noticed and saw it through our overlooking window that horrible scene of fire. I told her to take charge of my little children who were sleeping yet and be ready and prepared to leave the place anytime. I rushed to the scene to see what I can do for I've been trained on how to rescue in case of fire. Besides I've a niece working and sleeping in one of the commercial buildings there. That's my target in the first place. Well, I was able to assist some of those evacuees, regulate traffic.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks for all your concern and comments.

    Violy - We were told that exact number is 11 houses.

    Chrisair - Yes. I do appreciate those who responded my call through FB though others laughed at me coz I was still online despite the situation. I know its kinda weird but that was my only way to reach more people and ask for help.

    Amor - It was really pitiful when you see them crying over their burned shanties, lost their few valuables, and moreso, panicked over the missing child (which I think I forgot to mention on my post).

    Clint, Yuuki, Sumi, Sionee and Gil - One of the most important things I learned in emergency drills are to remain calm and quick-thinking. I have also given my children a short lecture what to do during this kind of emergency situations because I sometimes leave them when I go to market. I am really glad that though I work at home, I still have connections outside through FB and Twitter. SMS? Only my husband sends me text messages since I stayed at home and turned WAHM. LOL.

    ReplyDelete
  11. very true, di bale na manakawan kesa masunugan, i admire your alertness during the situation, we should not panic at once. Thankful too that the fire didn't reach your dwelling

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thank God for the power of technology! Thank God din for your presence of mind! Buti safe kayo... Ingat lagi!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Fires are really scary good thing the firemen came on time

    ReplyDelete
  14. It's good to know that no one got hurt (I hope). It's tragic to loose so much of your belongings. It's wonderful that you are able to help the ones in need at this time. You are a good mother to show that we try to help when we can.

    ReplyDelete