Hardware store blaze leaves P19M damage
CEBU, Philippines — A fire that raged for almost 10 hours in a hardware store on MJ Cuenco Street in Barangay T. Padilla, Cebu City, razed millions worth of properties and left three people injured.
The Cebu City Fire Station (CCFS) received the alarm at 7:08 pm on July 24, 2024 and the fire quickly escalated to a second alarm by 7:42 pm at the hardware owned by Federal North Hardware, Inc.
Due to the extensive nature of the fire, it was not brought under control until 1:32 am and fully extinguished by 5:02 am the next day on July 25.
In an interview with The Freeman, Senior Fire Officer 2 Wendel Villanueva, information officer for CCFS, stated that the hardware store contained highly flammable materials. To combat the fire, they used a special chemical called AFFF, an extinguishing agent mixed with water to create a foamy substance that aids in putting out the fire.
“Ang usual items sa mga hardware like paint, PVC, kay mga highly flammable kaayo mao nang galisod tag fire out…Nigamit tag AFFF ato nang isagol sa tubig, foam ang igawas ana na gamiton to help extinguish the fire,” said Villanueva.
The fire covered an area of 550 square meters, completely destroying the hardware store, causing an estimated damage of around P19,250,000.
Fortunately, there were no fatalities reported, but three individuals sustained injuries including Fire Officer 3 Donald Densing, Fire Officer 1 Marvin Dumogho, and Ryan Dela Cerna, 20.
Densing and Dela Cerna both had irritations around the right eye and face because they were splashed with an unknown industrial substance. Meanwhile, Dumogho lost two teeth after tripping on a ladder.
The CCFS also reported that the fire affected 40 workers of the hardware store, but did not directly impact any families.
A total of 52 fire trucks responded to the emergency, with 16 from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and 36 from the Bureau of Fire Brigade (BFB).
As of this writing, the CCFS is still exploring all possible factors in the cause of the fire, including faulty electrical wiring.
“Pwede electrical in nature basta we will explore all the angles sa kani nasunog kay dako dako jud ni so we will into an in depth investigation ani gud para makuha nato ang tinood na cause of fire,” Villanueva added. — (FREEMAN)
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