15 dead as fire razes Zamboanga market

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - At least 15 people, including six children, were charred to death after they were trapped in a deadly fire that spared a mosque pre-dawn Saturday inside a section of the old public market in this city.

According to authorities, 13 others were injured in the two-hour inferno that occurred about 2:45 a.m. at the stalls of used clothing locally known as ‘ukay-ukay’ and vegetables in Magay area, Barangay Zone 1.

Police and fire investigators reported that the fire started when sparks from low-slung electric post cables set fire.

“The sparks dropped below the stock of clothing and triggered fire,” said Police Officer 3 Rafael Salcedo.

The fire quickly engulfed ‘ukay-ukay’ stalls and portions of vegetable makeshift stalls.

Hussin Sangkula, chairman of Zone 1, said they were roving the area when fire alert was raised.

“Before I could park our service (vehicle), the blaze has almost eaten up the whole area and the arrival of the fire bureau has prevented the fire from engulfing a mosque inside,” Sangkula said.

Sangkula said nobody could penetrate the market to put out the fire as it quickly engulfed the entire area.

City Fire Marshal Dominador Zabala Jr. described the fire as rapid as fire level was raised to third alarm just within three minutes.

Zabala said the alleys leading to the conflagration site were too narrow that fire trucks could hardly penetrate the area to put out the fire.

The conflagration was contained after almost two hours.

Zabala said at least 350 stalls, including those makeshifts stalls, were burnt. An adjacent three-storey commercial building was partially damaged by the fire.

Rescuers recovered some of the charred bodies on the razed stalls constructed above a creek, said City Disaster Risk Reduction Management officer Dr. Elmeir Apolinario.

“Some of the injured victims survived by passing through the sewerage out from the fire,” Apolinario said.

Authorities identified the fatalities as couple Musal Hasiddin, 45 and wife Radzhata, 28; and their five children one-year-old Bunay; three-year-old Crissamae; five-year-old Noynoy; nine-year-old Nur-ais; ten-year-old Radzmer; including their 58-year-old grandmother Kyulan Hasiddin. Other fatalities were Rubilyn Hamis, 26 and her one-year-old son Jasper; Abei Salahuddin, 40; Nurul, 39; Algabid, 20; Marilyn, 32; and Binas, 20 of Salahuddin clan.

The injured victims were Alvin Bete, 14; Annang Erilis, 45; Yasser, 29; Nurmina, 18; all with Jamiri surname. Others who sustained some burns include couple Abdurahman Hamis, 36 and Almudzra Hamis, 31; and their children five-year-old Nasriya; seven-year-old Midzfar; nine-year-old Farhana; including Nasmiya Hamis, 9; Bennaser Hamis; Albini Jaani, 32; and Alfredo Mana.

Mayor Ma. Isabelle Climaco-Salazar directed the police and fire bureau for a deeper investigation to avoid speculations “while apparently the cause was a spark in the electrical post.”

“It was a very tragic day and the local government extended assistance to the fire victims,” Salazar said.