Fire razes Dauin’s public market

CEBU, Philippines - A fire of still undetermined origin broke out at around 12:30 a.m. yesterday and razed the whole public market area of Dauin town in Negros Oriental.

At least 76 stalls were totally burned but four others were spared, as firefighters also tried to save some buildings nearby from being caught in the conflagration.

Firefighters of the Dauin Fire Station responded immediately after the callout. Others that also responded were the Fil-Chinese Fire volunteers and those from the fire departments of Dumaguete, Bacong, Valencia and Zamboanguita towns, among others.

Among the first responders were the people who were playing at the nearby billiard hall. Domingo Moral Jr and Samuel Alabata Jr,, who took a video footage of the initial stage of the fire, said they informed the police and the Dauin Fire Station about the fire, which quickly engulfed the whole block of the market due to strong winds.

Fire Officer 3 Joel Mission, of the Bureau of Fire Protection-Dumaguete, said his department received the fire alarm from the Bacong Fire Station at 1 a.m., but when they arrived at the scene, the fire had already spread to neighboring stalls and eaten the whole area up.

Mission admitted they had problems with the water hydrant at the site because its outlet had a different size and would not fit with the hoses of the fire trucks from responding firefighters.

Mission added that one of the truck of the Dumaguete Fire Station had to go back to Dumaguete to refill water from the overhead tank at the city’s public market.

Fireout was declared three hours after or at about 3:30 a.m. Senior Police Officer 4 Proculito Briones, deputy chief of the Dauin Police, said no looting was reported as his men immediately secured the area.

No casualty was also reported, but one of the firefighters from Dumaguete, Fire Officer 1 Rene Lagudas, was brought to the City Health Clinic due to suffocation. Another man, reportedly sleeping inside a store, managed to escape the conflagration unharmed.

Initial investigations disclosed the origin of the fire was at the store of one Cristina Siason, located at the northern portion of the market, based on the testimony of a 16-year-old boy who was the first to see the smoke coming out from the ceiling of the Siason’s store.

Authorities said initial damage to property was estimated at P11 million, excluding the cost of goods and commodities, the inventory of which was still being conducted as of press time.

Several angles on the cause of the fire were being looked into, including the possibility of a faulty electrical wiring and electrical overload. Unconfirmed reports have it that the insurance coverage of the public market was not renewed yet at the time of the incident. (FREEMAN)