Fire fully engulfs Mongmong home

by Nick Delgado

Guam - A family of ten are picking up the pieces after a fire ravaged their Mongmong home. "When I saw the flames coming out of the hallway, me and my nephew ran through the flames to come out from the house," recalled Amy Cruz Torres.   

Three generations under one roof lost everything in a matter of minutes, as Torres lives with nine other family members in a duplex along Tuba Street in Mongmong. And after getting her younger daughter ready for school and on the bus, she laid back down not knowing what was coming. "I was laying down to go back to sleep but 30 minutes later I smelled the smoke coming from the main house, I ran to the front and told my kids to grab my grandkids out of the house, so when I went to the front and went into the big house, my sister's room was burning- the mattress was on fire," she said.

Torres says she tried to put out the fire using a garden hose, but realized there was no running water in their home. The semi-concrete structure with a wood and tin roof burned down and was total damage, while she made it safely to a neighbors home along with the rest of her family that were inside, although all ten were accounted for, Torres was disappointed with the fire department's response time.

"It took them 30 minutes for them to come, my house was all flamed up, we called them at 7 and they came like 30 minutes later it took them a while to come," she said. "If the firemen were here quickly that would have prevent burning the entire structure."

However, GFD acting spokesperson Lt. Phil Camacho disagrees saying response time was good. He says the call came in at 7:14am and units from Tamuning and Barrigada were on scene within 8 minutes. He adds fire fighters put out the blaze about 20 minutes after the call...arson investigators are looking into what may have ignited the fire.

But Torres believes her nephew might have got a hold of her sister's lighter, and the mattress she says accidentally caught fire. "We are going to try and see what we can do for this family," she said.

Red Cross officials were on scene assessing the home. Volunteer Pete Cruz says they will ensure the family gets clothing and food, and does not end up on the streets. "Whatever they need also if they need home we'll provide them temporary for them to be sheltered," he said. "If there's any business or anyone that wants to donate we would appreciate they can call the mayor's office ad we'll make sure anything you donate to them will get to them."

MTM mayor Andrew Villagomez adds anyone in the community who would like to assist the family can contact his office at 477-9090.