Fire in Barangay Don Bosco, Paranaque City

A huge fire broke out yesterday at around 3 in the afternoon. It was by chance I heard the sirens because I went to the craft room just before 4pm. We couldn't hear it from the family room where we normally hang out during the day. Told Sweetie and Miggy about it, we went out to investigate. 

Huge black smoke billowing nearby. I immediately checked Twitter to find out the location. It was Santos Compound, a residential area across McDonald's. Found out where it was from a friend. She said her cleaner called her up to tell her their area was on fire. 

Sweetie and Miggy realized I wasn't wearing a mask so I had to go back inside. We thought the fire had ended already at around 5pm. The smoke started to turn gray and white. Eagerly awaited a fire out announcement, but none was made. By six, the smoke grew again and started to go black. 

Continued to monitor the situation and found a Livestream by someone from DSWD. I heard from that video and other videos that water would run out. It's not surprising because a lot of water is required to meet the pressure requirement of the hose. We were told by BFP that firetrucks would form a chain so they can transfer water across trucks. 

We were really anxious because the fire was just 350 meters away. It looked closer because some of the videos we watched looked like it was just behind the house across our place. I only calmed down after looking at Google Maps. 

My heartfelt gratitude to the firefighters who bravely faced the fire. Saw a video where they were battling 2-storey+ high flames. The firemen were on top of a roof. Their comrades shouting from the ground to be careful since they also had to control the hose. The house was saved by its tall firewall. On the ground one of the firemen was scooping water from the street trying to save a dog. They had a hard time because the compound was not that accessible. They surrounded the area through the subdivisions surrounding the compound.

I hope and pray no one was hurt and that the families affected will soon recover. I'll update this post once I find where to send donations. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Fire Behind Our House

It smelled like someone lit a candle when I stepped out of the shower. It lingered and I thought Sweetie lit a candle. I peeked in the bedroom and he wasn't there, so I thought a relative from heaven was visiting. I looked out the window and was surprised to see a lot of smoke. It was then I heard a commotion outside. I then went out of the bedroom to tell Sweetie that there was probably a fire at the back of our house. 

He immediately went outside since he saw the neighbors pointing at our roof. At that time I called my friend whose house is adjacent to us. I told him to check since it looked like there was a fire at their house. After that Sweetie turned off our electricity and told us to bring important stuff and head to the car. It was best to evacuate the house for safety. I only got my hand bag, all my medications and important documents. 

I was already coughing badly because of the smoke by the time we got out of the house. Sweetie parked the car across the street. I prayed hard as I watched smoke billow out from behind our house. I prayed for rain and it rained a bit. Good thing the wind died down around noon. Sweetie left me in the car to check the situation. 

Seeing the smoke shift from white to black I started shaking. Of course, I was worried it would reach out house. I told myself though to remain calm because it won't be good for me to be stressed. I called Miggy and asked him to stay with me in the car. Soon enough four fire trucks arrived and I knew the issue would be addressed already.

After awhile, a neighbor passed by and advised to have our house checked. I called up Sweetie to request the BFP to check the back of our house. He soon came with a fireman and they checked the area. The fireman felt the firewall and said it wasn't warm. He also said it was good we immediately turned off the electricity when the fire started. Whew! Soon enough the neighbor passed by again and said that he went up their roof to check and said everything was in order.

Visited my friend and they were all okay. No one was injured and the fire was limited to the structure, it did not reach their main house. We're also all okay, albeit a bit shaken. 

Thank you Paranaque fire department for responding immediately. They sent 5 to 6 trucks. Barangay Sun Valley also sent an ambulance on standby. 

Thank you Lord for sending rain and for protecting all of us. 

#BeKind #StaySafe