Grade One teacher Jasmin Caldino lost all her instructional materials and the school records of her students when fire destroyed six classrooms and the school canteen of Lopez Jaena Elementary School in Murcia, Saturday afternoon.

Damage was placed at P3 million by the Bureau of Fire and Protection after firefighters of Murcia, Bacolod BFP, Amity and Chamber jointly put out the fire that lasted for about an hour.

Fire Officer 2 Rolando Mayder said investigations show that the fire could have started at the school canteen where they recovered a cooking pot and a “kalan (native stove)” with charcoal in it.

Two days before the fire incident, a Christmas party was held at the school, BFP investigations also showed.

At about 3 p.m. Saturday, Brgy. Capt. Jesus Ilon of Lopez Jaena, said somebody called for his help after people living near the school saw the school canteen burning.

Ilon said he immediately called the town’s Road Patrol Team to report the incident and 15 minutes later, the two fire trucks of the town arrived at the scene.

Inadequate equipment and low water supply from the town’s firetrucks hampered the firemen, Ilon said, and they were relieved to see the Bacolod BFP, Chamber and Amity fire volunteers arriving several minutes later.

But even before the firetrucks arrived, Ilon said barangay people were already rushing to the school to help bring out desks, tables, chairs and other materials they could carry from nearby classrooms. Some helped in putting out the fire by carrying pails of water taken from the school water pump.

School principal Carmencita Jaranilla, who was in Bacolod City when the fire incident occurred, said all six classrooms destroyed by the fire were Marcos-type and were at least 40 years old. The school canteen was repaired only last month, she said.

When the students return to school next month after the Christmas break, Jaranilla said their problem will be where they will hold their classes as the school has limited number of classrooms.

Caldino, who lost her instructional materials to the fire, will just have to borrow some things from her co-teachers, Jaranilla said.

On Dec. 17, fire also destroyed 15 houses and damaged four others in Brgy. 40, Bacolod City, rendering 21 families homeless during this Christmas season.*NAB/GPB

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