Fire razes buildings in Sta. Mesa, Pasay

Some P2 million worth of property went up in smoke after an hour-long fire broke out inside a ceramics warehouse and spread to 10 residential houses in Sta. Mesa, Manila before dawn yesterday.

Arson probers said the fire originated at the ceramics warehouse of Rod Gonzales located at 3634 R. Magsaysay Blvd., Altura Extension in Sta. Mesa, Manila. The blaze quickly spread to nearby shanties.

Investigators said no one was reported injured in the incident that took place at around 4:30 a.m. The blaze was placed under control an hour later.

Residents told firefighters that they initially thought the fire was inside Fernando’s supermarket. However, as the fire got bigger, they realized that the fire broke out inside the warehouse near the area. It was too late to take their valuables away from the fire that spread too quickly.

Fire also razed a three-story building in Pasay City yesterday afternoon. There were no reported injuries in the blaze that gutted the Ding Velayo Bldg. located along Domestic Road, across the Manila Domestic Airport.

Reports showed that the fire started at 12 p.m. and reached the Task Force Bravo alarm. The fire was put under control an hour later and declared out at 2:48 p.m.

As of press time, authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire and the damage to property. The building reportedly houses several offices. – Cecille Suerte Felipe and Nikko Dizon