Fires render 8 families homeless

Back-to-back fires yesterday morning razed three houses in San Antonio and the former Stardust Nightclub in Chalan Kanoa District 4. No one was reported injured in both blazes, but eight families were rendered homeless in the San Antonio fire.

The first fire broke out in San Antonio around 7:45am. As firefighters were clearing up between 9:30am and 10am, another fire occurred at the former Stardust Nightclub in Chalan Kanoa-Chalan Piao area.

“While we are grateful that no loss of life has been reported, there was significant property loss and damage,” according to press secretary Angel Demapan.

He said investigators are now working both scenes in an effort to determine the cause of the fires. He gave no further details as investigation is still ongoing.

In the San Antonio blaze, the fire razed to the ground a one-story semi-concrete house that had eight rooms and one store, and two other semi-concrete houses.

The affected eight families are Thais and Filipinos. Most of them failed to save their valuables and appliances as the fire spread swiftly.

The houses are located in front of the Pacific Islands Club along Tun Tomas P. Sablan Road near the corner of Batto PI.

According to Santiago Elayda’s girlfriend, the fire started in the kitchen area of their house. Elayda said he was at work at the time, but his girlfriend told him that when she opened the door’s kitchen she noticed thick smoke and fire.

He said his girlfriend failed to save any appliances or valuables.

Elayda said their tenants and families also scampered for safety.

Elayda’s house has eight rooms and one store. He leased the land in 1974 from Margarita Castro.

Modesto Agustin, 57, a maintenance worker, said he was on his way home after opening the San Antonio Church when he noticed thick smoke coming from their area.

Agustin said his girlfriend only managed to get those clothes that were being dried outside the house.

Samarn Chaikhamyan, 57, said he was at work in Kagman when he received a call from a friend about the fire. Chaikhamyan said his wife failed to get any of their appliances, but he’s still happy because his wife and their children-2 years old and 10 months old-were not hurt.

The American Red Cross put up tents across the road near PIC where volunteers provided refreshment, water, and food to the families and 80 responders.

John Hirsh, executive director of the American Red Cross NMI Chapter, said they will provide shelter to the families that were rendered homeless-either at a hotel or a congregated shelter like a gymnasium.

In the second fire, Mina, 49, a commercial cleaner, said she was busy stocking goods at Bobby Market when she heard shouts about a fire.

Mina noticed thick smoke coming out of the former Stardust, located across their store.

Most of the firefighters that came from San Antonio moved to Chalan Kanoa and began working to extinguish the blaze that gobbled the houses located in the back portion of the building.

Mohan Hemlani, owner of Bobby Market and the Hemlani Building, said the affected building, owned by a Sablan family, has been abandoned since about five years ago.

A firewall prevented the blaze from transferring to the adjacent three-story commercial building.

Residents said that a Chuukese man and woman have been staying in the abandoned house for many months now. The two are known for begging food and money. They were not seen at the scene yesterday when the fire broke out.

Following the unusual occurrence of two fire incidents following each other, Demapan said that Department of Public Safety Commissioner Ramon C. Mafnas is requesting the public to be vigilant of their surroundings at all times for any unusual or suspicious activity or for any items that may cause or catch fire.