Date | February 7, 1966 |
---|---|
Time | Approximately 1:30 p.m. – 1:30 a.m. PST (UTC+08:00) |
Duration | 12 hours |
Location | Iloilo City Proper, Iloilo City, Philippines |
Coordinates | 10°41′46″N122°34′04″E / 10.6962°N 122.5678°E |
Type | Fire |
Property damage | ₱50 million (approx. ₱5 billion in today's value) |
A fire in Iloilo City on February 7, 1966 destroyed nearly three quarters of the City Proper area, the central business district of Iloilo City. in the Philippines. [1] It is the single most devastating fire in the city's history. [1]
The fire began around 1:30 pm at a lumberyard on Iznart Street then spread across Quezon and Valeria streets. [1] Fanned by a strong wind, the blaze gutted at least 12 blocks of commercial and residential establishments along Texas Street on the north side, Rizal Street on the south, Jalandoni Street on the west and Arroyo Street on the east. The fire trucks of the government, the now-Bureau of Fire Protection, were ill-equipped to fight the fire because they had to travel 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) to Jaro, Iloilo City to fill their water tanks. The fire lasted approximately 12 hours and ₱50 million (1966 value) worth of property went up in smoke. [1] [2]
After the fire, commercial activity returned to the area with many of surviving concrete commercial buildings being rebuilt, but the area was left with fewer residents since many homes were replaced by commercial structures. Some survivors were relocated to the district of La Paz in Iloilo City.
Among the commercial buildings impacted was the Majestic Theater, which was rebuilt. New commercial landmarks constructed include the Marymart Center, a shopping mall, and the new Iloilo branch of the Philippine National Bank.
In the aftermath of the fire, the Iloilo Filipino Chinese Fire Prevention Association Incorporated was established. [1] It is now known as Federation Iloilo Volunteer Fire Brigade. [1] It is one of the two private volunteer fire departments, though they include some part-time on-call firefighters.
Panay is the sixth-largest and fourth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of 12,011 km2 (4,637 sq mi) and a total population of 4,542,926, as of 2020 census. Panay comprises 4.4 percent of the entire population of the country. The City of Iloilo is its largest settlement with a total population of 457,626 inhabitants, as of 2020 census.
Iloilo, also called Iloilo Province, officially the Province of Iloilo, is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital and largest city is Iloilo City, the regional center of Western Visayas and politically independent from the province. Iloilo occupies the southeast portion of the Visayan island of Panay and is bordered by the province of Antique to the west, Capiz to the north, the Jintotolo Channel to the northeast, the Guimaras Strait to the east, and the Iloilo Strait and Panay Gulf to the southwest.
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Iloilo City, officially the City of Iloilo, is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines, located on the southeastern coast of the island of Panay. According to the 2020 census, Iloilo City has a population of 457,626 people, making it the most populous city in Western Visayas. For the metropolitan area, the total population is 1,007,945 people.
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