Fire hits Las Piñas warehouse

Some P10 million worth of properties were destroyed when fire struck a warehouse of chemicals in Barangay Almanza II in Las Piñas yesterday.

A report from the Las Piñas Fire Protection Unit said the blaze started at 10:15 a.m. inside the Richchem chemical warehouse located on Gladiola street.

The warehouse is reportedly owned by Po Yeng Ong, a Filipino-Chinese businessman.

Arson investigators said the warehouse’s 15 employees were having a break when a spark in the electrical lines triggered a fire, which quickly spread inside the warehouse because flammable materials like paints and thinner were stored in drums inside.

No workers or firefighters were hurt in the incident.

Lily Ong, wife of the owner, suffered a heart attack after learning of the incident. She was rushed to a nearby hospital.

The blaze, which reached Task Force Charlie, was placed under control at around 2 p.m. An Air Force helicopter with a Bambi bucket was called in for assistance.

As of press time, no fireout has been declared.

It was also learned that when personnel of the Bureau of Fire Protection conducted an earlier inspection of the warehouse, it contained no drums of chemicals.