Fire hits Las Piñas commercial center

More than 40 stalls were destroyed in a fire that hit a commercial center in Las Piñas City before dawn yesterday.

The fire that hit the commercial area at the Zapote Junction in Barangay Zapote also rendered homeless at least 20 families who were living near the center. No one was hurt.

Arson investigator SFO 3 Roberto Nullan said the fire started at 3:55 a.m. from one of the stalls near the administration office of the commercial center.

The blaze immediately spread to neighboring stalls, mostly beerhouses.

Nullan said the units did not have separating walls and were made of light materials since they were constructed in the 1970s. They have not undergone renovation since.

"Our firemen didn’t have a hard time putting out the fire. They easily responded and penetrated the affected area because the streets going there were wide enough for our trucks," he said.

The fire was put out at 5:30 a.m. Estimated cost of damage was P1.5 million.

Nullan said they have yet to determine the cause of the fire. Residents in the area did not hear any explosion before the fire started and went out of control.

He noted, however, that the same area was hit by a fire last year, but the damage was minimal.

Affected families were temporarily housed at a nearby basketball court and received assistance from the local government. — Edu Punay