Water pipe construction causes fire, power outage in Palace

Construction workers laying water pipes damaged an underground power line that caught fire and caused a power failure yesterday in several buildings at the Malacañang Palace complex along J.P. Laurel Street in Manila.

No one was reported injured in the incident. President Arroyo was on an official engagement in Camiguin when the incident occurred.

This was the second fire incident in Malacañang this week. A fire that started from the office of Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo gutted the entire fourth floor of the Tahanan ng Masa building last Monday.

Witnesses, including reporters working at the New Executive Building (NEB), saw thick white and foul-smelling smoke coming out of a manhole just outside the NEB, located about a hundred meters away from the Palace at around noon.

It was later learned that heavy equipment of a construction crew hit an underground power line that started a fire and caused the explosion of a nearby electric transformer.

A fire truck arrived and flushed the burning manhole with water to put out the fire.

The power failure hit the NEB, which houses various offices including the Office of the Press Secretary, the Malacañang Press Corps, the Appointments Office, the Office for Religious Affairs, the Premier Guest House which is directly in front of the Palace, the Tahanan ng Masa building, and buildings housing the National Commission for the Role of the Filipino Women, and the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, who holds office at the Premier Guest House, temporarily moved to the Mabini Hall to work.

Press Undersecretary Cornelio Baliao said generators would be used in the offices and full power would be restored in the next few days. – Paolo Romero