11 dead in Chinatown blaze

MANILA, Philippines — Eleven people died after a fire hit an old mixed-use building in Binondo, Manila yesterday. 

The 11 were found lying in their beds – six at the mezzanine and five on the second floor of the five-floor building along Carvajal Street in Barangay 289, Zone 27, according to Senior Inspector Michael Ignacio, operations chief of the Manila Fire District in an interview over dzBB.

Ignacio said the victims could have still been asleep when fire engulfed the residential and commercial building, he noted. 

The Bureau of Fire Protection raised the first alarm at 7:28 a.m. and second alarm at 8:14 a.m., according to the initial BFP report.

Fourteen fire trucks from the BFP and 20 others from volunteer groups, as well as ambulances and a special rescue force, helped in the firefighting efforts. 

The huge blaze persisted, with smoke coming out of the completely shut windows on the second floor. Firemen had to break some of the windows, as well as force open some rolling gates at the ground floor, by cutting the padlocks, just to penetrate the fire scene.

Relatives of the victims, including the tenant establishments of the building, were left helpless as the fire completely engulfed the building.

The BFP declared the fire under control at 9:31 a.m. and fire out at 10:03 a.m. They have yet to identify the victims. Photos shared on social media showed the bodies were charred beyond recognition. 

The fire destroyed property worth P100,000, noted the BFP. 

The blaze could have come from a canteen on the ground floor of the building which houses a trading company, a bakery and popular hopia brand Ho-Land, according to radio reports.

The Ho-Land security guard claimed the fire could have come from a leaking liquefied petroleum gas canister at the canteen. He recalled trying to cover it with a damp cloth, but the blaze had already consumed the room.

The old building has a fire exit that is covered with tarpaulin, to serve as shade for stalls of fruits and vegetables along an alley on the ground floor, radio reports said.

The BFP maintained its investigators have yet to determine what could have caused the fire.

Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan said the city government would provide psychosocial, medical and financial assistance to the bereaved families.

She also ordered concerned city government departments to “to conduct thorough inspections of all structures within the city.” 

“The structures at highest fire risk, especially those buildings that are at least 15 years old, will be prioritized in the inspection to determine their compliance with the National Building Code and the Revised Fire Code of the Philippines,” Lacuna-Pangan said.