Caloocan mall fire put out after 80 hours

MANILA, Philippines - After more than 80 hours, the fire that broke out at the Ever Gotesco Grand Central mall in Caloocan City Friday night was finally declared out Tuesday morning.

Chief Superintendent Samuel Perez, deputy chief for administration of the Bureau of Fire Protection, said that the fire at the mall was put out at 7:25 a.m. The fire broke out at around 10:45 p.m. Friday.

Television and radio news reports said that three firetrucks were put on standby near the mall. The reports added that the mall's tenants have started arriving, but they were not allowed to enter the gutted establishment pending the government's investigation.

SFO4 Randy Resurreccion, the city’s arson, intelligence and investigation chief, said the fire had eaten up nearly 95 percent of the four-story shopping complex.

Resurreccion had said that the fire's damage could reach more than P1 billion, more than the estimated damaged of P500 million when the mall was razed in 1991.

Caloocan City Mayor Enrico “Recom” Echiverri has ordered the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to conduct an investigation on the mall fire.

Echiverri said that the BFP should determine if there was foul play in the mall fire, calling it “strange” that it required more than a day to put the flames out.

“A thorough investigation is needed here, given the fact that the firefighters needed a extensive amount of time to subdue the blaze,” Echiverri said.

The mayor said the Caloocan City Government maintains interest in the mall because its management still owes taxes to the city.

Echiverri also suspects that the mall fire could be a case of arson.