- 1,000 families displaced as 15 trucks needed to contain flames in Agdao
A WIND-DRIVEN fire gutted a densely populated residential community in Agdao District on Thursday, Oct. 15, displacing an estimated 1,000 families and prompting emergency responders to declare a Task Force Alpha response level before extinguishing the blaze early Friday morning.
According to the Bureau of Fire Protection-Davao City Fire District, the incident started at 5:06 p.m. in Purok Coreas, Sitio Bakal, Carpenter, Barangay Leon Garcia Sr. Fueled by strong coastal winds and light building materials, the flames rapidly spread through the neighborhood.
The BFP raised the response level to 2nd Alarm at 5:13 p.m., 3rd Alarm at 5:25 p.m., and 5th Alarm by 5:34 p.m.
By 8:16 pm, fire authorities escalated the response to Task Force Alpha , dispatching at least 15 fire trucks from 14 fire stations across Davao City alongside volunteer fire brigades to contain the rapidly spreading flames.
BFP Davao City Fire District spokesperson FSInsp Frances Marie Sendrijas confirmed that firefighters brought the blaze under control at 8:49 p.m. and officially declared a “fire out” at 1:20 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 16.
No casualties, injuries, or fatalities were reported during the incident.
Meanwhile, local authorities established five primary temporary shelters and evacuation centers to accommodate hundreds of fleeing residents:
- Barangay Gym of Leon Garcia Sr. (Primary Evacuation Center)
- Leon Garcia National High School
- Emmanuel Garcia Elementary School
- Barangay Gym of Captain Tomas Monteverde Sr.
- Agdao Skate Park
The City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) deployed its Emergency Mobile Kitchen early Friday morning to provide hot meals to displaced families and individuals staying at the designated centers.
Additionally, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) deployed its Kalusugan Food Truck to deliver warm meals and provisions to frontline firefighters, volunteer brigades, and emergency responders who battled the inferno throughout the night.
CSWDO social workers are currently conducting on-site profiling and validation to establish the exact number of damaged structures, affected individuals, and the monetary value of property damage.
Sendrijas added that arson investigators are still verifying the origin and root cause of the fire.