THE estimated damage from the recent fire in a commercial building in Paco, Manila reached millions.
This is the result of the fire that occurred in a commercial building in Paco, Manila.
The fire broke out at around eight in the evening, reaching the fifth alarm and declared fire out around one in the early morning hours of Sunday.
Nor Ayn, one of the victims of the fire and a vendor in the commercial building, is still there until now.
According to her, they almost didn’t save anything except for a few items they were selling, like shoes, belts, and cellphone casings that they might not be able to sell anymore.
SMNI News encountered a few vendors at the site.
One of them is Ramon, who saw an opportunity to earn from salvageable items such as metal, copper, baskets, and wooden crates.
According to Fire Senior Superintendent Christine Cula of the Manila Fire Department, the damage caused by the blaze could reach up to 15 million pesos.
A nearby school was also affected by the blaze.
According to the fire marshal, evidence has been sent to the main headquarters for testing and verification to determine if the tragedy was indeed caused by electrical issues.
‘‘They are looking into the electrical aspect, they said they’ve had the power lines fixed, that’s the angle we’re looking at. They haven’t closed it off, that’s for sure,’’ according to Fire Senior Supt. Christine Cula Fire Marshall, Manila District.
PGH records two fire incidents in Q1 of 2024; cause of recent fire still under investigation
Aside from the commercial building, shortly after, the Philippine General Hospital was caught on fire around 11:16 pm on Saturday.
This marks the second fire incident at PGH in the first quarter of the year.
To recall, the first incident occurred in march when a fire broke out in the hospital’s audiovisual room.
According to the Manila Bureau of Fire Protection, this time, it was the hospital’s hallway that caught fire last Saturday.
However, the authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire.
The BFP has recorded over two hundred fire incidents in the city from January to March.
They typically record up to five fire incidents per day.
Hot weather not an excuse to prevent fires —BFP Manila
Culla said fire incidents are higher now due to the hot weather.
Compared to last year, the city has seen a 20 percent increase in fire incidents.
However, according to her, fires can still be prevented even during hot weather if the public exercises proper caution.
‘‘We can’t just say that because it’s hot weather. It’s just easier for fires to spread because everything is dry. The heat is an added factor but the starting point of the fire, that’s what we address. The fire is just waiting. It’s just waiting for that spark. When we give it the opportunity to spark, a fire will really occur,’’ Fire Senior Supt. Christine Cula Fire Marshall, Manila District, said.
Among the causes of fire incidents in manila are said to be electrical, negligence in cooking, and improper disposal of lit cigarettes.
That’s why the Manila Bureau of Fire Protection is appealing to everyone to be cautious and responsible to prevent fires, especially during hot weather.
‘‘Don’t neglect plugged-in appliances, don’t just casually toss lit cigarettes. Those are common causes that should also be addressed, people should be aware of them, and now that they know, they should avoid them, right? You know about electrical issues, yet you still use Octopus connections,’’ Cula added.
