18 firefighters hurt in warehouse blaze

MANILA, Philippines — Eighteen firefighters were injured while trying to put out a fire that engulfed a four-story warehouse in Tondo, Manila, which started on Thursday night and had yet to be extinguished as of yesterday afternoon.

The firefighters – 14 men and four women, all from volunteer firefighting groups – suffered “first to second degree superficial burns” mostly on their palms and faces, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) reported.

The firefighters had encountered a backdraft or sudden explosion while on the second floor of the building along Guidote street in Balut, Tondo.

They were not wearing protective gear such as hoods and gloves due to their groups’ shortage of funds, according to earlier reports.

They were brought to the Tondo Medical Center, Chinese General Hospital and Philippine General Hospital for treatment.

The fire broke out at the warehouse, which had high fences topped with barbed wires, at 7:51 p.m. on Thursday. The BFP raised first alarm at 8:01 p.m. and second alarm 13 minutes later.  

The second floor of the building, where the fire started, held hardware products such as varnish, paint and rust remover, all stored in tin cans, according to reports.

The BFP reported that the firefighters had struggled to contain the fire as explosions were heard within the building. The warehouse had only one door accessible to firefighters.

Stay-in employees were able to escape the burning building’s fourth floor after one of them made a makeshift rope out of their clothes.

The fire destroyed property worth P19.985 million, according to the BFP.

At least 14 BFP fire trucks and 50 more from volunteer groups responded to the incident, as well as four ambulances and a special rescue force.