Fire razes EDSA motel; 1 hurt

MANILA, Philippines - An employee was hurt in a fire that gutted a three-story motel along EDSA near the boundary of Caloocan and Quezon cities Friday afternoon.

Fire officials initially placed the damage at P1 million, adding they have yet to establish the real cause of the fire.

Superintendent Ruel Jeremy Diaz, Caloocan City fire marshal, said Robert Mascarinas, 33, sustained minor lacerations on the left leg at the height of the blaze that gutted the Clover Inn, a 25-year-old structure registered in the name of Remedios Mascarinas.

Senior Fire Officer 2 Zoilo Crisostomo, arson investigator, told The STAR the fire broke out at around 5:55 p.m. on Friday and was put out two hours later.

Crisostomo said the fire started at Room 9 on the second floor of the motel and spread towards the other rooms.

Firefighters said they did not see anyone running out of the rooms when the fire broke out, even when some rooms were said to be occupied.

Crisostomo said they have yet to determine if the establishment violated provisions of the city fire code. – Jerry Botial