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Electric panel blast triggers fire at Dandan house
An electric panel box explosion reportedly triggered a fire that razed a house made of light materials in Dandan yesterday morning.
Fortunately, the residents—a 70-year-old man and his two children—who were all at the house when the fire broke out were not injured after they managed to run outside.
Firefighters douse the remaining flames with water, quenching the blaze that razed a house in Dandan yesterday morning. No one was reported injured in the blaze. (Ferdie de la Torre)
Department of Public Safety Fire Division information officer Jocelyn Alvarez told Saipan Tribune at the scene that investigators were still trying to determine the cause of the blaze.
Alvarez said DPS received a call from a man about the structure fire at 11:12am and that firefighters arrived at the scene after a few minutes.
Alvarez said the blaze had already engulfed about 90 percent of the house, which was made of tin and wood materials, when the firefighters arrived.
Narciso Ambalan said he is supposed to celebrate his 71st birthday today, Tuesday, but that nothing was left of the house and they failed to secure any of their belongings.
Ambalan, a carpenter, said that prior to the fire, he was washing dishes outside the house while his two children—a 22-year-old Department of Corrections officer and a 16-year-old boy—were sleeping inside.
Ambalan said his wife was at their neighbor’s house at the time.
Ambalan said an explosion occurred at their electric box panel located in one of the three rooms and fire immediately spread.
He said his 16-year-old son, who did not go to school that day because of a stomach ache, was inside that room and was awakened by the explosion.
The 16-year-old son then woke up his 22-year-old brother, who was sleeping in the living room. The two ran outside.
Ambalan said he tried to get inside the house, but the fire was already large.
He said it’s a blessing that his youngest son was not feeling well that day and did not go to school because it was he who woke up his brother.
Ambalan said his oldest son was sound asleep at that time because he had just come home from work.
The family has been renting the house from businessman J.M. Guerrero for about four years now.
