3 hurt in Valenzuela public market blaze

Two firefighters and a 66-year-old civilian volunteer were injured by falling debris in a fire that razed the public market yesterday morning in Marulas, Valenzuela.

The injured were identified as Senior Fire Officer 3 Roberto Suarez, Fire Officer Reynaldo de los Santos; both of the Valenzuela Fire Station and Venancio Bandal, 66, of Don Pedro Subdivision in Barangay Marulas.

Authorities initially placed the damage at around P10 million.

FO2 Marlon Aniasco, desk officer at the Valenzuela Fire Station, said the fire broke out at around 7:25 a.m. at a stall inside the public market. Arson probers said the fire quickly spread to neighboring stalls engulfing the entire market within minutes.

At the height of the fire, Suarez and De los Santos, assisted by Bandal, were hit by a concrete wall of a burning section, apparently weakened by extreme heat.

The fire was declared out at around 8 a.m.

Probers said they are yet to determine the cause of the fire. – Jerry Botial, Pete Laude