Baguio’s first shopping mall —Maharlika — gutted by fire

BAGUIO CITY — Investigators are still determining the damage caused by a Tuesday dawn blaze at the Maharlika Livelihood Complex, Baguio’s first shopping mall built by the Human Settlements Development Corporation (HSDC) under former First Lady and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s mother Imelda in 1982.

The fire, which began at one the stalls of the four-storey building, reportedly occured 1 a.m. Tuesday on the third floor of the Maharlika Livelihood Complex.

An initial report of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Baguio said that a building security guard noticed thick smoke coming from a stall on the third floor of the building. 

He immediately alerted the BFP whose station is located more than 300 meters from the establishment.

Fire fighters rushed to the scene and began suppressing the raging blaze until they placed the fire under control 4:09 a.m. 

The BFP declared a “fire out” at around 4:30 a.m. 

No one was harmed from the fire incident.