Mall fire reaches 24 hours: Winds fan flames

CEBU, Philippines — It was worse than what everyone expected.

The fire that hit the Metro Gaisano store in Ayala Center Cebu Friday night was thought to have been contained on the building’s third floor but last night, nearly 24 hours after it started to burn, huge flames engulfed the fifth and sixth stories of the building.

Nagiel Bañacia, head of Cebu City’s disaster team, said the store’s generator set and an estimated 8,000 liters of crude oil are on the sixth floor.

Samuel Tadeo, director of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) - 7, said strong winds fanned the flames last night.  Because the fire may have compromised the building’s structural integrity, Tadeo said firefighters were no longer made to enter the building and response was made externally.

Tadeo said damage may reach up to P100 million.

The night before, Councilor Dave Tumulak, the deputy mayor for police matters, said it was easy for the fire to spread because of the highly-combustible materials inside the building.

Except for some firefighters who sustained minor injuries during the operation, no casualty was reported in the fire that started at the storage area on the third floor where the toys section used to be.

In an interview with The Freeman, SFO3 Pier Angelo Abellana, chief of the Intelligence and Investigation Section of BFP-7, said the store supervisor on the third floor, Rodulfo Sarza, first noticed a flame with thick black smoke coming out of an air conditioning duct.

Sarza reportedly tried to put the fire out using extinguishers available at that time, but the materials around the duct caught fire quickly, prompting the security managers to report a fire alarm.

Salesclerks Ryan Fernandez and Franklin Alburo echoed Sarza’s statement.

The Bureau of Fire and Protection (BFP) responded to the fire at 9:44 p.m. Friday. The alarm was raised to Task Force Alpha at 10:51 p.m. so that available fire trucks could respond to the area. By dawn yesterday, about 100 firefighters and volunteers were helping put the fire out.

Firefighters who were able to penetrate the building dawn yesterday said it was difficult to see anything inside. The extreme heat was also a major challenge.

"Wa man siyay kagawsan sa init ug aso. Usa ni siya sa nga unta madali unta nato og pawong ba. Enclose man gud siya nga building walay bintana. Reason nganong gipangbuslutan nato to relieved the smoke and the heat," said Rolando Orbeta, Assistant Regional Director for Fire Operation of BFP-7.

The firefighters positioned outside the building employed a cooling strategy by dousing the outside walls with water.

Policemen were also deployed to man vehicle traffic in the area.

In a statement released yesterday, Metro Gaisano said “Our primary concern has always been the safety of our customers and staff. Fortunately, everyone evacuated without incidence. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to our community, customers, tenants, mall partner and operator, neighbors, and all stakeholders.”

“We have and will continue to serve as a responsible corporate citizen by quickly restoring this store. As a Cebuano company we will persevere. A better Metro will rise again to serve the community,” it added.

Orbeta said they are also looking into why the generator set was not functional when the fire broke, which may have allowed the sprinklers to also work.

Ayala Center was closed to shoppers yesterday. (FREEMAN)