A fire which raged for nearly an hour left around P800,000 worth of damage in a house with an 82-year-old man as its sole resident in Baclayon town.

The owner of the house, Sengundino Balo, was unharmed while no other persons were injured as the fire broke out in Barangay Libertad on Wednesday evening.

According to FO2 Carlson Carlos, fire authorities were alerted at 6:58 p.m. and arrived at the scene at 7:18 p.m.

The blaze was declared fire out at 7:49 p.m.

Carlos, based on initial investigation, said that Balo lighted a mosquito coil and left it on top of a plastic drawer filled with clothes inside his room as he ate dinner.

Authorities believe that Balo may have forgotten about the mosquito coil until it ignited its surroundings.

Balo was able to safely get out of the house as the blaze erupted while no other persons were inside the structure.

According to Carlos, the Tagbilaran City Fire Station was able to respond earlier than Baclayon authorities as Balo’s residence was nearer to the city fire station. (A. Doydora)