Two persons were reported injured in the blaze.
Bureau of Fire Protection. Chief Major Ben Amomonpon told The STAR in an exclusive interview that initial investigation showed that an electrical short circuit caused a spark in one of the stalls owned by a Maranaw trader besides the Jerry’s Shopping Center.
This was confirmed by Samuel Ubay-ubay, one of the security guards detailed at JSC who reported the incident to the BFP located just 150 meters away from the fire scene. Witnesses said an explosion followed.
Three brand new fire trucks from the towns of Bacolod, Maigo and Kolambugan in Lanao del Norte also responded to the fire call.
One of the responding firetrucks was, however, hit by stones thrown by a group of drug addicts along the Barangay Mahayahay national highway and damaged its windshields.
Amomonpon estimated the extent of damage of the building alone to reach P1 million while the Maranaw traders placed their damaged stocks of pirated VCDs, DVD discs, DVD players, TV sets and other items to P5 million.
Meanwhile, scavengers swooped down on the fire scene and gathered metals and aluminum roofing they later sold to junk shops.
Disaster Management Operation Center Chief Boy Edroso warned the public to be more safety and security conscious. He also encouraged local government units in Lanao del Norte and nearby cities and provinces to actively organize a functional disaster coordinating center in Region 10. — Richel Umel, Lino de la Cruz