CEBU CITY, Philippines — A fire that tore through a densely populated residential area in Sitio Lawis, Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City, has left dozens of homes destroyed and more than 100 families affected, with authorities still investigating what triggered the blaze.
The fire broke out at around 3 p.m. on Friday, September 18, sending residents scrambling to escape as flames spread through houses in the community.
According to an initial report from the Cebu City Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS) cited by Bombo Radyo Cebu, 101 families, or about 375 individuals, were affected by the fire. The report said 58 houses were burned, including 52 totally destroyed homes and six partially damaged structures.
The extent of the damage has also been reflected in the initial property-loss estimate reported by Cebu Daily News, which placed the damage at approximately ₱1.2 million.
Fire spread quickly through residential area
The Cebu City Fire Station received the alarm at about 3:26 p.m., according to SunStar Cebu. The fire was raised to the first alarm several minutes later after firefighters assessed the area as a residential community where many structures were made of light materials.
Firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control at approximately 4:34 p.m., with the fire declared completely extinguished at around 5:30 p.m., SunStar reported.
SunStar’s initial Bureau of Fire Protection figures, however, were lower than the later social-welfare assessment, reporting 37 houses completely destroyed and 71 families, or 264 individuals, affected. Three people were also reported injured with burns.
The differing figures highlight that assessments were still being updated in the immediate aftermath of the incident.
Families begin seeking assistance
Following the fire, the Cebu City DSWS began profiling affected residents to determine the assistance they may qualify for, Bombo Radyo reported. Some residents also said they were unable to save their belongings as they fled the burning area.
Authorities have yet to establish the official cause of the fire.
The latest incident adds to the history of serious fires in Mambaling, an area that has experienced several destructive residential blazes in recent years.
In March 2025, a separate fire in Mambaling affected hundreds of families. A Department of Social Welfare and Development disaster report later recorded 182 affected families, or 1,076 people, with 142 houses totally damaged and one partially damaged.
That earlier disaster also prompted discussions about the safety of densely populated coastal communities, particularly where homes are built close together and access for emergency responders can be difficult.
For the families affected by Friday’s fire, however, the immediate concern is more urgent: finding temporary shelter, recovering essential belongings and securing assistance while investigators work to determine how the latest blaze started.
Authorities are expected to continue validating the number of affected households and the extent of property damage as the post-fire assessment progresses.
