1 dead, 23 hurt in Navotas fire, ammonia leak

MANILA, Philippines — A 16-year-old boy died and 23 others were hospitalized after ammonia fumes leaked at a cold storage facility that later caught fire in Navotas at past midnight yesterday.

The Bureau of Fire Protection identified the fatality as Dustin Lee Ansale. Eleven residents were taken to Tondo Medical Center and 12 others were rushed to Navotas City Hospital, the BFP reported.

The Department of Health (DOH) said the 23 victims complained of difficulty breathing, vomiting and loss of consciousness.

The East Avenue Medical Center and Philippine General Hospital provided assistance to the two hospitals in treating the victims, the DOH said.

Exposure to high levels of ammonia in the air may irritate the skin, eyes, throat and lungs and can cause coughing and burns, the DOH said.

According to the BFP, it received a report of an ammonia leak at the Icy Point Cold Storage Facility in Barangay North Bay Boulevard North at around 11 p.m. on Monday and a fire at around 12:07 a.m.

The fire reached third alarm at around 12:33 a.m. and was put out just before 2 a.m.

The BFP said it secured the control valve that stopped the ammonia leak.

Navotas public information officer Irish Cubillan told The STAR that the cold storage facility is not owned by the Tiangco family.

Von Villanueva, head of the Navotas city disaster risk reduction and management office, said the facility was issued a notice of temporary closure after the incident.

In a statement, the city government said its fire department, health office, environment and natural resources office and business permits and licensing office will investigate the leak and the fire.

“We have also deployed health workers and placed an ambulance on standby to provide immediate medical care if needed,” the city government stated.

The Philippine Red Cross deployed a fire truck and two ambulances to assist residents affected by the incident. — Ralph Edwin Villanueva, Rhodina Villanueva