Fires hit Caloocan mall, factory

Fires hit the basement of a mall and a rubber sandals factory in Caloocan City early morning yesterday, leaving some P10 million damages.

No casualties or injuries were reported in both incidents.

Arson investigator F01 Marcelino Espeso III of the Caloocan Bureau of Fire Protection, said the first incident occurred around 1:15 a.m. at the Ever Gotesco Grand Central basement. The fire, which officials said lasted only for a few minutes, has been initially blamed on faulty electrical wiring.

At exactly 1:50 a.m., another fire occurred along 7th Street, between 10th and 9th Avenues. The fire razed the production area of the Super Rubber Corporation, one of the biggest sandals manufacturer in Metro Manila.

SF03 Randy Resurreccion, Caloocan BFP-Investigation and Intelligence Unit, said the fire quickly spread because of highly combustible raw materials inside the factory.

The fire was declared out at around 8:00 a.m. with several fire trucks helping put it out. Arson probers have yet to determine the cause of the fire.

In another development, fire investigators said a short circuit caused the fire that razed a residential room of the Sulo Hotel in Quezon City last Saturday.

Senior Fire Officer 2 Virgilio Agpaoa said follow-up investigations showed the problem originated from an electrical installation along a convenience outlet inside the room.

The short circuit burned the back portion of the television, curtains, walls, and cabinets of room 244 on the second floor of the Sulo Hotel located on Matalino Street, Diliman, Quezon City.

Meanwhile, Leigh Lucero, public relations officer-in-charge of the hotel, clarified that there was no occupant in the room when the incident happened and that the reported occupant, Leandro Enriquez was actually the owner of the hotel.

Initially, fire officers identified Enriquez as the occupant, which they subsequently corrected in their report as owner of the establishment.

Preliminary reports from the Bureau of Fire Central said that the fire hit the room around 6:45 a.m. last Saturday. The damage was estimated to cost about P100,000. No one was hurt during the incident.

Fire Officer 3 Ernesto Escondo said five fire trucks responded to the incident, which reached second alarm. The blaze was contained at about 7:05 a.m. – With Katherine Adraneda