Divisoria Mall still burns

MANILA, Philippines - A fire that started at the six-story Divisoria Mall in Manila at past midnight yesterday continued to burn 16 hours later, as firefighters from all over the National Capital Region tried to put out the blaze.

“There is a possibility that the fire would last until Saturday,” Manila fire department investigation head Chief Inspector Bonifacio Carta said yesterday.

The fire reportedly broke out at past midnight on May 16 and was raised to Task Force Charlie – the third of a five-level fire alarm – by 5:30 a.m. after firefighters experienced difficulty controlling the blaze.

As of 1 p.m. yesterday, Carta said the fire has spread to 90 percent of the building and that a portion of the fifth and sixth floors above the fast food area of the commercial center, have sagged because of the intense heat.

“The fire is already widespread and it would be risky for our men to enter the building. It is also difficult to enter the Divisoria Mall because of the heavy smoke,” he said.

While firefighters have forced the mall’s doors open to create more outlets for the smoke, they have remained outside the building and just use water hoses to prevent the fire from spreading to other buildings.

2 rescued from fire

Two mall employees, security guard Teodoro Enriquez and maintenance worker Franklin Peralta, were trapped in the burning building. They were rescued around two hours after the fire started when they went to the fourth-floor balcony, Carta said.

They were brought to the Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center for medical treatment. Carta said they were in stable condition and may have already been discharged from the hospital.

Tight watch

They are also closely monitoring liquefied petroleum gasoline (LPG) tanks at the food court on the mall’s third floor, Carta said. As of press time yesterday, no LPG tank has exploded.

Members of the Manila Police District (MPD) are reportedly in the area to prevent looting. Most of the items sold at the mall were clothes, party items and toys.

Carta said that to his knowledge, this was the first time that fire broke out at the Divisoria Mall.

Initial information that he received showed that the fire might have started in the basement of the building. They have yet to confirm if the mall is owned by Linkworld Construction and Development Corp.

Blaze linked to politics

Rumors circulated yesterday that Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim might have been responsible for the fire because the tenants of Divisoria Mall allegedly supported the mayoral bid of former President Joseph Estrada.

Manila City Administrator Jay Marzan denied these allegations.

“This insinuation is too much. Do not put politics into the fire incident. Mayor Lim was not responsible for the fire. We are not sore losers,” Marzan said.

He added that there were other areas in Manila that promised to support Lim but failed to deliver the votes for him, yet these places remain fire-free.