Tondo warehouse fire out after 41 hours

MANILA, Philippines — A fire that razed a warehouse in Tondo, Manila was extinguished yesterday, over 41 hours after it broke out on Aug. 8.

Manila Fire District Marshal Sr. Supt. Rodrigo Reyes declared the blaze at the four-story mixed-used building along Guidote street under control at 9:16 a.m. yesterday, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) reported.

After over four hours, he declared that the fire was put out at 1:21 p.m.

The fire broke out at 7:51 p.m. on Aug. 8 at the second floor of the building, which held hardware products such as varnish, paint and rust remover, all stored in tin cans, according to reports.

The fire reached second alarm at 8:14 p.m. and remained at that level for one and a half days as firefighters struggled to contain the fire within the building.

Sixteen firefighters, all from volunteer groups, suffered burns after reportedly encountering a backdraft or explosion from canisters stored on the second floor. The BFP earlier reported that 18 firefighters were injured.

The BFP said 67 fire trucks, four ambulances and a special rescue force responded to the fire, which destroyed P19.98 million worth of property.

4 hurt in Valenzuela junkshop blaze

Meanwhile, four people were injured after a fire broke out at a junkshop in Valenzuela on Friday afternoon.

The fire in the junk shop along Candido street in Barangay Mapulang Lupa started at 2:56 p.m. and reached the first alarm, according to the BFP’s National Capital Region field unit.

Arson probers have yet to determine the cause of the fire, which was put out at around 4:01 p.m.

Fire Officer 1 Alvin Verona, 31; Fire Officer 2 Augusto Ramos, 35, and Senior Fire Officer 3 Jerome Penaranda, 43, and resident Anthony Molina, 30, sustained second-degree burns.

The victims were treated by first responders before they were sent to a hospital for further medical treatment.

Investigators have yet to determine what caused the fire.

In Parañaque, Romeo Tajona, 44, sustained second-degree burns on his face, arms and back after a fire broke out at a company barracks in Better Living Subdivision before dawn yesterday.

The fire started at 2:07 a.m., reached alarm at 2:12 a.m. and was put out at 4:35 a.m.

Probers have yet to determine the cause of the fire. — EJ Macababbad