Fire hits San Juan hospital

Fire razed the St. Martin de Porres Hospital in San Juan last Friday following an explosion in one of its laboratories.

No injuries were reported in the fire that destroyed property worth an estimated P6 million.

Fire investigator SFO3 Chandler Aracadio said the fire started at 3:40 p.m. at the ground floor of the hospital, located at the corner of A. Bonifacio and F. Blumentritt streets, Barangay Kabayanan in San Juan.

Aracadio said the blaze started when still unidentified chemicals inside one of the hospital’s laboratories exploded.

Fire quickly spread inside the laboratory and at the ground floor of the hospital.

Firefighters from San Juan and from nearby cities in Metro Manila responded to the blaze, which reached the fifth alarm.

Patients of the hospital were transferred by nurses, hospital staff and concerned citizens to the nearby San Juan Medical Center.

The fire was declared out after 30 minutes.

In Valenzuela City, property worth millions of pesos was destroyed when a fire of still unknown origin broke out at a plastic firm early yesterday.

Valenzuela fire marshal Chief Inspector Agapito Nacario said three people were hurt in the fire that hit the Asian Plastic Center/Calypso Plastic Center Corp. on Sto. Rosario street in Barangay Mapulang Lupa.

James Lee, general manger of the company, sustained first degree burns on his left leg while security guard Alex Cantillon, 36, suffered third degree burns in the left face and ear. Volunteer fireman Michael Cruz, 30, sustained minor burns in the right leg.

Fire Officer 2 Melchor Gonzales said that at around 6:35 a.m., fire broke out at the pellet section of a warehouse housing the APC/CPCC. It spread quickly and engulfed the entire structure.

The fire reached Task Force Charlie and was contained at around 10:34 a.m. – With Pete Laude