NEW YORK- Inilikas ang pitong gurong Pilipino sa Anchorage, Alaska matapos magliyab ang kanilang paaralan sa school sa St. Michael Island sa Stebbins.
Nasunog ang Tukurngailnguq School noong Hulyo 26 ng gabi. Base sa mga saksi, nakarinig ng pagsabog kasabay ng pagliliyab ng school buildings.
Batay sa inisyal na imbestigasyon ng mga awtoridad, nagsimula ang sunog sa boiler room. Tinangkang apulahin ng mga gurong Pilipino ang sunog gamit ang fire extinguishers, subalit mabilis na kumalat ang apoy dahil sa malakas na hangin sa lugar.
“Workers noticed smoke coming from a storage building. They quickly grabbed fire extinguishers but, unfortunately, were not able to control the fire. As the flames began to grow, everyone in the school or housing was evacuated. The wind was blowing away from the school, so there was no imminent danger, and local volunteers began assisting with trying to put out the flames,” pahayag ni RCC Staffing Solution USA Chief Executive Officer Romer Jazo, nangangasiwa sa mga apektadong Filipino teachers.
“Stebbins does not have a fire department, which is the case for all the towns in the district,” dagdag ni Jazo.
Nasunog ang siyam na school district buildings, kabilang ang tinitirhan ng pitong Filipino teachers na nagtuturo sa lugar. Ligtas namang nakaalis ng gusali ang tatlong guro nang maganap ang sunog, habang apat ang nasa bakasyon nang maganap ang insidente.
Dagdag ni Jazo, walang naisalbang gamit ang pitong gurong Pilipino, at dinala sila sa Anchorage. Nagbigay naman ang staffing agency ng financial support sa apektadong Filipino international teachers at inaasistihan ang mga ito.
“As part of the teacher housing was part of the destruction, there were teachers that lost all of their items that were in the housing. The district does not carry homeowners’ insurance. Due to this incident, there has been outreach from the district to assist those that lost their housing and belongings. There are several GoFundMe accounts, and our teacher union has given all teachers that lost their housing a gift card to help purchase new items,” wika ni Jazo.
Pinairal na ni Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy ang public assistance program ng estado upang tulungan ang mga apektado at makumpuni agad ang school buildings, na tanging educational facilities para sa komunidad sa Stebbins. RNT/SA
