Manila firemen on red alert during holidays

With the onset of the holiday week, all fire stations and volunteer fire brigades in Manila went on full alert yesterday to ensure the safety of residents from destructive fires.

Records show that most fires occur during the last two weeks of December when the holiday revelry goes into high gear.

The fires are usually caused by overheated appliances left unattended or by exploding firecrackers.

There were also cases of fires emanating from exploding transformers due to excessive loads from electrical Christmas decorations, according to arson officials.

Most people tend to overload their homes with electrical Christmas decorations without seeking the advice of qualified electricians.

To ensure the safety of residents from these destructive fires, firetrucks of the city’s six fire stations and volunteer fire brigades will conduct daily patrols of Manila’s streets.

Fire officials instructed their men to be on full alert until New Year’s Eve, when people start to explode large firecrackers and burn tires in the middle of the street.

The firefighters were told to immediately extinguish all burning tires.

The latest fire to hit Manila during the holidays razed a four-door apartment in Paco last Friday morning.

Arson probers said the gutted structure allegedly stored a large cache of firecrackers intended for New Year’s Eve.

No one was reported hurt in the hour-long fire. – Nestor Etolle