A DAWN fire destroyed one of the oldest churches in Cebu in the most destructive blaze to hit the province this Fire Prevention Month. It took firefighters nearly eight hours to put the flames out. The fire that razed the Immaculate Conception Parish and its convent in the southern town of Oslob also highlighted the need for the government to pay attention to upgrading firefighting equipment. The church sat about 50 meters away from the Oslob fire station in Barangay Poblacion, but much of the firefighting came from the neighboring towns of Santander, Argao, Dalaguete and Sibonga, because Oslob’s two firetrucks were defective. Firefighters from Oslob Fire Station led by fire marshal SFO2 Jaime Suycano, together with some residents, had to push one of the trucks to the site. The first firetruck to arrive, about 30 minutes after the alarm was raised, came from Santander Fire Station. An initial investigation by Suycano showed the fire began at 1:40 a.m. based on the statement of Feryland Gemelo, 20, nephew of parish priest Fr. Valentino Gemelo and an acolyte of the church, who first saw the flames. Suycano said an electrical short-circuit may have caused the fire, but that still has to be verified.
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