P15-M groceries lost in warehouse fire

MANILA, Philippines - At least P15 million worth of grocery items was destroyed when a 13-hour fire razed a warehouse in Parañaque City Thursday night.

City fire marshal Superintendent Manuel Manuel said Inspector Wilson Tana was hit by falling glass shards while checking the condition of the Suy Sing warehouse along the East Service Road in Barangay San Martin de Porres.

The fire was reported about 11:30 p.m. by a roving security guard who saw an electrical wire on fire in the warehouse’s receiving area. The guard called the firefighters when he found the warehouse door was locked, but the fire had spread by the time the firefighters responded.

“Overloaded circuits could have caused the fire,” Manuel said.

Forty water trucks from government and volunteer firefighters’ groups were used to kill the fire at around 1:30 p.m. yesterday. Manuel said the 3,500 square-meter warehouse was “totally razed.”

He said firefighters had to tear down part of the wall and break glass windows to get into the warehouse, which served as a repository of grocery items before they are delivered to supermarkets.