It was a calamity. The fire gutted several houses at Fairview, Baguio City. Such is one of the worst misfortunes one can go through. A robber can take a lot of your valuables but your house would still be there. And a super typhoon might blow away your roof or flood your house, you could, however, save a number of items so dear to you. In a fire or conflagration everything would be gone.
Just like any other calamity, we could have done a lot to avoid it or minimize the damage it caused. The cause of many fires is the negligence of residents. In boarding houses or those being rented out, another would be the negligence of the house owner or administrator. These include failure to replenish fire extinguishers, failure to maintain circuit breakers and to conduct periodic inspection of wires and other electrical installations.
All of these, however, would be useless if your neighbor’s house is so close to yours and when there is no firewall to limit or deter the spread of any fire. Thus, it behooves leaders of the city or any community for that matter to be always on their toes in making sure rules on buildings and zoning laws are strictly followed.
Considering how government and its parts or agencies are being run, it is us private citizens who should be more alert in assuring our safety. And while it might be considered a cliché, it is better to always remember that an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure.
You are lucky if there will still be a next time. That means you survived a prior incident. To avoid a fatal “next time”, being a boy scout might do the trick.**