Fire hits copper smelting plant in Leyte

ORMOC CITY ,Philippines  – A fire broke out at around 6 a.m. yesterday inside the plant premises of the Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining Corporation (PASAR) in Isabel town of Leyte, about 45 kilometers from this city.

PASAR is the country’s only copper smelter plant located at the Leyte Development Industrial Estate in Isabel.

A reliable source, who requested anonymity, told The Freeman that the fire struck the acid plant of PASAR, although this has yet to be confirmed by authorities.

He also said it was a major incident because it took firefighters three hours to control the fire. Residents nearby said they felt it was a huge fire judging from the gigantic smoke emanating from the plant.

Eleven fire trucks from PASAR itself, its neighbor Philippine Phosphate Fertilizer Corp., the towns of Isabel, Merida and Kananga, and Ormoc City immediately responded to the scene.

Firefighters battled the blaze until it was put “under control” at around 9 a.m, or three hours later. They then declared a “fire out” an hour after.

The source described the scene as “very restricted area” that even policemen were not allowed to enter to beef up security.

PASAR produces copper cathodes and in the process of extracting copper, also extracts significant amount of raw gold or ore and other precious metals, hence the tight security.

No casualties or injured people and workers were reported and, as of press time, the cause of the fire and the estimated damages were still undetermined.

Isabel Fire Marshall Insp. Hermes Cadion, when reached on his cell phone yesterday, declined to issue a statement yet because he was still inside PASAR conducting an investigation into the incident and assessing the extent of the damage.

PASAR’s J. Paul R. Tan, assistant vice-president for industrial and community relations department, added: “We are still conducting an investigation on the cause of the incident and extent of the damage.”