P30M lost in Samar fire

TACLOBAN CITY — Close to P30-million worth of properties were turned to ashes when a big fire hit the public market of Guian, Eastern Samar before dawn yesterday.

Initial reports reaching the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) regional office here revealed that the big fire broke out around 1 a.m. yesterday from one of the stalls in the newly-constructed building located at the commercial and residential area of Guian.

OCD Regional Director Adriano Fuego told The STAR that the two blocks of the market site were razed while a two-storey residential building was slightly burned.

Fuego added that nobody was killed or injured during the fire that lasted for almost one hour.

Senior Inspector Juan Guimbaolibot, of Guian police station said that around 118 market stalls and makeshift stored were razed.

Initial investigation by Bureau of Fire Protection regional office here showed that the fire started from a stall owned by a certain Paquito Holanda. Arson probers said that it took 30 minutes before residents noticed the fire. — Miriam Garcia Desacada