Massive fire hits Mandaue

A massive fire that broke out in Zone Sili and Zone Talong, Barangay Paknaan, Mandaue City, on the night of Sunday, March 23, 2025, has displaced at least 805 individuals, marking it as the largest fire incident in the city this March.

- Kristin de Dios, Mitchelle Palaubsanon Staff members

Tragically, the response to the fire also resulted in the death of a motorcyclist who collided with a responding firetruck.

Fire Officer 1 (FO1) Neil Amancio of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Mandaue confirmed that the fire started at 7:34 p.m. in a two-storey house.

The blaze quickly escalated to a fourth alarm due to the high density of light-material structures in the area, eventually damaging over 6,000 square meters and destroying 177 houses. One house was partially damaged.

"Mao ni pinakadako so far," Amancio told reporters on March 24, 2025, referring to the scale of the fire compared to three others earlier this month in Barangays Mantuyong, Ibabao, and Canduman.

Firefighters responded at 7:35 p.m. and escalated the fire to the second alarm at 7:44 p.m., then to the third alarm at 7:55 p.m. By 8:04 p.m., the fire had reached the fourth alarm as flames spread rapidly to neighboring houses.

A total of 29 firetrucks from Mandaue City and neighboring cities—including Lapu-Lapu, Cebu, Danao, and Talisay—along with volunteer groups such as the Mandaue Filipino-Chinese Volunteer Brigade and Alegado Rescue Fire Volunteer, were deployed.

Firefighters faced significant challenges, including narrow roads and blocked pathways. Some residents, in their panic, cut hoses and threw stones at firefighters.

“During the start sa firefighting operations namo gipamato mi…so na disrupt gyud ang among operations kagabie,” Amancio said.

He shared that desperate residents tried to take control of the firefighting efforts, even grabbing hoses from firefighters as they saw their homes being engulfed in flames.

However, with the help of the Philippine National Police (PNP), order was restored. Residents eventually cooperated with authorities, forming a bucket relay to help extinguish the flames.