Fire sweeps through Talisay City factory

A lighted matchstick thrown by a 14-year-old boy is being suspected as the cause of the fire that swept through a shell and woodcraft factory in Talisay City last night.

Jim Davis Oscares, the son of the factory owner who is a resident of Ramona Village, may have started the fire when he accidentally threw a lighted matchstick that hit the sawdust.

Senior Fire Officer Rodrigo Nayne, who responded to the alarm, said Oscares did not notice that the stick hit the sawdust and triggered the fire.

Oscares and some of the factory workers tried to put out the fire, but he suffered a first-degree burn when he doused water to the blaze.

The fire, which started at 8:30 p.m., spread rapidly inside the factory, which is made of light materials.

The Bureau of Fire and Protection succeeded in putting the fire under control after two minutes. It estimated the damage at about P130,000. - Garry B. Lao