Fire guts Puregold mall in Pasay

A fire broke out at a shopping center in Pasay City early yesterday.

Arson investigator Fire Officer 3 Renato Recto said the fire, which started around 2:40 a.m. at the Puregold Plaza along Taft Avenue near Libertad Street, was declared under control at 2:25 p.m.As of 7:20 p.m., firefighters were still fighting the blaze.

The fire reportedly originated from the first floor of the mall, where the supermarket section can be found. The flames quickly spread to the other floors of the four-story mall, which displayed dry goods.

Recto said the firefighters were having difficulty putting out the fire due to the toxic fumes emitted by the burning merchandise. Firefighters reportedly even broke glass doors and windows of the shopping center for the smoke to dissipate.

As of late yesterday, more than 60 firetrucks were at the scene to help put out the blaze. Twenty of the firetrucks are operated by the Bureau of Fire Protection while the rest are owned by fire volunteer groups.

At least three fire volunteers – Richwell de Vera, Jess Bagtas and Ver Carlos Nam-ay – suffered from smoke inhalation and were given first aid.

Recto estimated the damage caused by the fire to have reached more than P50 million but added this could still go up since firefighters have yet to put out the blaze. He said the cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

The incident caused the Light Rail Transit Authority to cancel LRT-1 trips from Baclaran to Libertad and back from 7:20 a.m. to 5:50 p.m.

LRTA public information office chief Jinky Jorgio said the firm lost P971,985 from a projected 67,971 passengers due to the closure of part of the rail line.

The fire also caused heavy traffic in the area after concerned local officials decided to restrict entry in nearby streets to help firemen go on with their work without hassle as much as possible.

Early this year, a fire destroyed the Galleria Baclaran Mall in Pasay. Investigators blamed the fire on an air-conditioning unit that malfunctioned.

The firemen also had a hard time containing the blaze since the narrow streets and crowds of onlookers prevented firetrucks from going near the building. – With Rainier Allan Ronda