SAN FERNANDO, La Union, Philippines — A six-hour fire destroyed the public market in this city at dawn yesterday.
The cost of damage has yet to be determined.
Initial investigation showed the fire started at past 1 a.m. in a mini-grocery at the market.
Firefighters declared the fire out at 6:52 a.m.
Mayor Herminigildo Gualberto asked the city council to declare a state of calamity to assist around 100 vendors who were affected by the fire.
Gualberto has designated the covered courts in Barangays Ilocanos Sur and Norte as temporary markets.