33 hurt as blasts hit Zamboanga firecracker bodega

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines  – The city’s disaster management committee accounted for at least 33 people who were injured in a series of explosions that rocked a warehouse full of firecrackers last Friday afternoon.

Fire investigators said the explosions originated from the container vans stored in the Pacific Trading compound in the interior of Barangay Camino Nuevo along Veterans Avenue.

Fire Superintendent Jaime Ramirez said during the emergency disaster management committee meeting called late Friday night by Mayor Celso Lobregat that the vans believed to have stocked firecrackers and pyrotechnics were owned by Benjamin Chiong and Muana Sahali. 

Lobregat, who chaired the disaster meeting, accounted for at least 33 injured people who were rushed to various hospitals, including at the Edwin Andrews Air Base (EAAB) Hospital.

He said those injured were either hit directly by falling glass debris of nearby buildings during the almost three-hour fire with an interval of six series of powerful explosions that jolted the city. 

Police and civilians described the explosions as very powerful that shockwaves were felt within a kilometer radius and caused tremors. 

Ramirez said the estimated damage alone within the compound of the blasted site have reached P35 million. The estimated damage did not include other structures and buildings, including hospitals, around the blasted site. 

Apart from the buildings, more than 10 houses of settlers beside the compound were also razed by the fire. 

During the meeting, Department of Interior and Local Government city director Mohammad Arakama said they are looking at possible lapses “why there was a big storage of such pyrotechnic devices and so near the hospital.”

The area is classified as commercial under the zoning system but the city administrator questioned the stored huge volume of firecrackers in several vans in an open area. 

Administrator Antonio Orendain Jr. said the city has listed at least 14 outlets selling firecrackers with permit. He said they are checking the city ordinance if it allows the manufacture of firecrackers and pyrotechnics. 

Personnel of the Scene of the Crime Operatives initially discovered nitrate, a component used for making firecrackers, according to regional crime laboratory director Police Superintendent Solomon Segundo. 

The SOCO has conducted forensic examination in the area to gather evidences to determine the liability of the owners.