Bogo fire dept not delayed, police says

THE Bogo City fire department was backed by the municipal police against charges by a local principal’s family that they arrived too late to put out a fire that claimed his life at his home last Thursday dawn.

PO3 Allan Dosdos of the Bogo police precinct said the police arrived less than 10 minutes after receiving a call from a resident that a fire broke out in sitio Cantecson, barangay Gairan, at 1:25 a.m.

Dosdos said he and the police saw that the firemen were already working to put out the fire.

Acting fire marshal SFO1 Eduardo Sotto said they received the fire alarm at 1:17 a.m. and put out the fire 28 minutes later or at 1:45 a.m.

The relatives of the late school principal Jose Embert Catarata claimed that the firefighters arrived at the fire scene after 35 minutes. “It was not true,” said PO3 Dosdos.

Dosdos said if the firemen arrived late, then a home located two to three meters away from Catarata’s house would have also been damaged.

He said he understood the accusations leveled by Catarata’s family against the fire department.

Dosdos said these were borne out of frustration over the fire department’s failure to rescue him and grief over his death.

Dosdos said they also considered their investigation on the incident closed based on the findings of the fire department that the fire was caused by faulty electrical wiring.

He said there is no factual basis on reports that Catarata was robbed, killed and his house burned.

Dosdos said those reports are rumors spread by people who had no knowledge of their investigation. Correspondent Jhunnex Napallacan