Source of Makati gas leak pinpointed

MANILA, Philippines - The Makati Fire Department said yesterday it has already identified the source of the reported gas leak along Osmeña Highway.

Fire chief Leo Andiso of the Bangkal, Makati Fire Station told The STAR that the gas could have come from a tank in the basement of the West Tower, a residential condominium on Bangkal street.

He said odor emanating from the West Tower proved that the leak came from the building and not from pipelines under the structure as previously thought.

However, the reason why there was petroleum inside the tank continues to puzzle fire officials.

”We believe the odor originated from the building’s sump pit located at the building’s Basement 4 but we are still clueless why this happened,” Andiso said.

“It’s either the petroleum is really coming from the building or somebody intentionally put petroleum in the tank,” he added.

A sump pit is a hole designed to collect water and other spilled fluids in order to avoid flooding in the basement.

In a separate interview, Makati Fire Marshal Samuel Tadeo said the smell of gas “has become worse” since Tuesday.

He added that they have already sought the help of the city engineer to solve the problem.

Andiso could not yet determine if the incident would pose a danger to the public as they have yet to assess the gravity of the case.

Meanwhile, engineer Efren Impreso, head of the Oil Pipeline Right of Way Division of the First Philippines Industrial Corp. (FPIC), said they were relieved that their pipelines tested negative for leaks.

”We were quite relieved that our pipelines are not posing any danger to public health,” he told The STAR. The fire department initially suspected that the gas was coming from a FPIC petroleum pipeline located nearby.

A separate statement from the FPIC said the company has dug about 100 meters near West Tower to show that the leak came from the building and not from their pipelines beneath it. FPIC has already sent engineers to assist the city fire department in its investigation.