Fire destroys UBHS building

Baguio City – A huge fire gutted yesterday  the wooden high school building of the University of Baguio here.

Thousands of students who were then having classes in UB college department were evacuated from their classrooms at the campus along Assumption Road.

Firefighters aided by private water delivery trucks, some coming all the way from Tuba, Benguet, rushed to contain the fire that lasted for at least one hour and a half.

City Vice Mayor Daniel Fariñas, dean of UB’s College of Law, said the fire started at around 11:30 a.m. and spread rapidly at the UB high school building which was made of wood.

UB Vice President for Finance JB Bautista, an older brother of Baguio City Mayor Reinaldo Bautista Jr., said the fire started near the faculty room of the high school department.

The high school building is one of the oldest buildings of the Bautista-owned school that started as Baguio Technological (Baguio Tech) Academy 50 years ago.

Bautista said the fire spread rapidly and the firemen have a hard time containing the blaze.

“Our volunteer fire marshals could no longer contain the fire that was so huge,”  he said.

Students, teachers and school employees join firefighters in saving books and other school items from the burning building.

The fire also gutted the nearby eight-story building in front of the school.

Firefighters and investigators still has to value the damaged properties although volunteers tried to “salvage” some of university equipment from the burning building.