Fire guts 400-year-old Camarines Norte church

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines – A 400-year-old Catholic church was razed by an early morning fire yesterday in Vinzons town in Camarines Norte, authorities said.

Senior Fire Officer 3 Franklin Ebonia, Vinzons fire marshal, said the fire that razed the St. Peter parish church started at around 1:30 a.m. and lasted for at least three hours.

Ebonia said the fire spread quickly to different parts of the church due to strong winds.

He said they were still verifying reports that the fire could have started in an adjacent school building and merely spread to the church.

The parish priest, Fr. Francisco Regala, said smoke had seeped into his room in the convent when he woke up.

Regala said the church was constructed during the Spanish era.