Documents lost in fire

CEBU, Philippines - Voluminous contracts, plans and other files were lost to fire by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Fifth Engineering District last Friday.

About 24 computers, different sets of printers, steel cabinets, survey equipment and furniture were also destroyed pegging the damage at more than a million pesos, according to the fire bureau.

FO3 Lowel Opolenticima said over dyLA radio report that the damage in last Friday’s fire reached an estimated P1.2 million.

Employees of the DPWH fifth engineering district were advised to postpone the clean-up yesterday until the Bureau of Fire determines the cause of the blaze. The guard on duty during the incident said the fire might have been due to electrical misuse since he saw the fire come from ceiling.

Fifth District Engr. Yu-soph Rasuman said they will have to start from scratch since they lost practically everything. He said he has already talked with DPWH-7 Director Ador Canlas who offered them to use the vacant spaces at the Regional Equipment Services Compound.

The RES compound just across the ill-fated building houses the RES, Cebu City Engineering District and the First Engineering District. Some spaces were left vacant when the RES Accounting Section transferred to the DPWH-7 Regional Office in the South Road Properties.

Rasuman said they will do their best to be able to set up a temporary office at the RES building by Monday. He said they have already requested for an emergency purchase of five computers and printers to revive and start over with urgent and important documents.

Rasuman said most of the files and documents lost to fire have no digital copies and he is uncertain if the files can be retrieved elsewhere.

The building that was gutted by fire houses the Fifth Engineering District Office and the Materials Quality Control and Hydrology Division.

Rasuman said only his office was affected and the MQCHD remained intact.

To set up a temporary office, he said he will ask from the Regional Office for extra furniture and fixtures.

Insp. Jose Laurito, the deputy fire marshall of the Cebu City Fire Department said their initial findings showed that the fire was triggered by electrical misuse.

He said they will have the statements of Flores, the duty guard, written in affidavit as well as the statements of other potential witnesses.

Within the week, the fire investigator said they will come up with the final report on the fire incident that gutted down the two-storey building. The fire rekindled twice yesterday, which prompted the fire department to place a fire truck on standby.

Laurito said the fire rekindled at the razed building at past 9 a.m. yesterday. It was controlled shortly after, but around 2 p.m., fire was again spotted and eventually put out.

Several fire trucks were sent to the area since the fire was reported at past 6 p.m. last Friday.

Three of the responding trucks encountered damages yesterday, Laurito said. One of the city’s fire trucks damaged its engine bearing while the fire truck of Parian Fire Station was stuck and would no longer release water. The starter of Labangon’s fire truck, on the other hand, kept on functioning even with the ignition key turned off, he said.

The fire department’s mechanic is now repairing the trucks, Laurito said.

Last Friday’s fire was raised to task force alpha, with fire trucks from the neighboring cities helping out to control it.

Senior Fire Officer 1 Daniel Relatado of Parian Fire Station suffered a laceration on his right forearm upon responding to the scene.

Apart from Relatado, there were no other casualties of the fire. All DPWH employees have left the building by 5 p.m.  (FREEMAN)