Fire ruins seized cars

A fire destroyed five vehicles at the impounding area of the City Traffic Office Management at the North Reclamation Area yesterday morning blaming the incident to the intense heat.

SFO2 Delfin Abella, of the Pari-an Fire Substation who first arrived at the scene, told The FREEMAN that they received the alarm at around 10:45 a.m. They were able to control the fire after one minute.

Personnel assigned in the area said they saw thick smoke billowing from the central portion of the impounding area which prompted them to give it a check.

They saw fire spreading on the grass, burning the vehicles prompting them to call for assistance from the Bureau of Fire Protection. This is the first fire alarm this month.

Ronaldo Turla, in-charge of the impounding area, told The FREEMAN that bonfire and the burning of garbage could not have caused the fire because these are prohibited in the area as the impounded vehicles still contain fuels.

“Kalit ra man naay nisiga. Nya wala may nagdaob dinhi kay gibawal man na. Kusog man kaayo ang hangin, naabot sa mga ligid,” Turla said referring to tires piled near the vehicles.

At least three passenger jeepneys, one private jeep and a barangay anti-illegal drugs vehicle were partially burned.

Abella estimated the damage to have reached P300,000 but final report would depend on the findings of duty fire investigator, SFO2 Felix Romero.

Meanwhile, as far as the city government is concerned, Mayor Tomas Osmeña yesterday said the city has always exercised “reasonable care” with the vehicles that were impounded.

And since spontaneous combustion may have caused the fire, Osmeña said the city does not necessarily have any liability unless it can be proven that there was “clear gross negligence” on the part of the city government.

The mayor stressed that it is not the city’s responsibility to ensure that the vehicles remain in good running condition while at the impounding area.

“If we have any obligation to maintain those vehicles in running condition?...I don’t think so. They have the obligation to pay the fines and retrieve those vehicles…I don’t think we should be responsible for that,” Osmeña said.

“But the city, I know, is exercising reasonable care to protect these vehicles from pilferage,” he added. - Edwin Ian Melecio with Joeberth M. Ocao/MEEV