Phone charger blast triggers fire

An explosion caused by a defective cell phone charger triggered a 50-minute fire that destroyed a two-storey residential building and damaged property worth P1 million in Mandaluyong City the other night.

Nobody was hurt in the fire, but three families occupying the building located at the corner of De la Cruz and Illino Cruz in Barangay Vergara, lost all their personal belongings.

Arson probers said a plugged cell phone charger that was left unattended on top of a bed in one of the rooms exploded at 7:10 p.m. The house was being occupied by three families all surnamed Evangelista.

The charger was reportedly bought for P50 from a sidewalk vendor.

"Malamang defective ang charger kasi sa sidewalk lang nabili kaya’t sumabog," an arson prober said.

The fire reached the fifth alarm. Firemen from Mandaluyong City and nearby cities and municipalities responded to the scene.

The fire was declared under control at 8 p.m. — Non Alquitran