Fire, blast hit Iloilo police camp

MANILA, Philippines - A fire and an explosion hit a police camp in Iloilo City, razing several offices and vehicles and injuring an Army officer.

Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr., Western Visayas police director, said the fire struck at around 2:30 a.m. in the Army’s Explosive Ordnance Division (EOD) office in Camp Martin Delgado. The fire was extinguished at about 4 a.m.

The fire also burned down the offices of the Engineering Division, Firearms and Explosives Unit, Security Agencies and Guards Unit, PRO-6 Band, and the Civil Security Group Satellite Office 6 of the regional police.

The EOD chief, identified as Capt. Noel Frias, suffered second-degree burns and is now confined in a hospital in Iloilo City. Cruz said Frias was in stable condition.

Other offices were damaged due to the explosion of a device from the EOD office. These were the offices of the Regional Logistics and Research Development Division, Retirement and Benefits Administration Service, Communication Electronic System of the Armed Forces, Regional Police Community Relations Division, and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

The fire also damaged a pre-school and learning center, a motorpool, and a community toilet in front of a gymnasium. 

Several vehicles were also damaged, namely a blue multi-cab, a white van, a white Nissan vehicle, a maroon Honda Exi, a Honda motorcycle 100cc, an owner-type jeep, and an M35 truck.

The fire also razed confiscated firearms and ammunition, including 105-mm and 81-mm mortar shells. 

All musical instruments, office equipment and personal belongings of the personnel assigned in the affected offices were also destroyed. 

Cruz said they would investigate to determine if someone’s negligence caused the fire, adding that explosives and similar ordnance should be kept in isolated areas.

“Prudence would tell us that bombs and other explosives should be kept only in remote camps to avoid damage like this one,” Cruz said. – Alexis Romero, Jennifer Rendon, Jaime Laude