Two hurt in QC warehouse blaze

Two persons were hurt while property and merchandise worth at least P10 million were destroyed when a fire razed a five-story paint warehouse in Quezon City Wednesday night.

Factory worker Roberto Gonzales, 22, who suffered burns in the face and a still unidentified victim were rushed to the Chinese General Hospital for treatment

FO3 Fortunato Alde said the fire broke out about 9:57 p.m. at the warehouse of Pacific Paint and Oil Manufacturing Inc., located between Tagdalit and Ubudan streets in Barangay Manresa.

Alde said the blaze started at the "graveyard" on the third floor of the warehouse.The graveyard refers to a stockroom for substandard paint.

He said the fire immediately spread to the main office of the warehouse and portions of the fifth floor, with explosions being heard occasionally from inside the building.

The fire reached the general alarm around midnight. About 40 firetrucks responded to the scene.

According to Alde, firemen had difficulty containing the blaze because of the presence of highly flammable substances like thinner.

Apart from water, Alde said they also used Triple-F chemical foam to combat the blaze. However, when the supply of foam ran out before dawn, the flames continued to destroy the property.

Even with the arrival of a new supply of foam, the blaze could not easliy be contained. Firemen continued to struggle with the fire until the afternoon.

The blaze was placed under control at around 4:30 p.m. yesterday. A fire-out was declared at 8:10 p.m.

Chemical foams are used by firemen in severe cases of fire involving chemical substances that are highly flammable, Alde said.

Arson investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fire.