ILOILO City – Fire engulfed the second floor of a mall in San Jose, Antique around 5 p.m. yesterday.
According to Mayor Elmer Untaran, the second floor of Gaisano Grand Mall, where most products were garments, was totally damaged.
“Very combustible ‘ni ang mga bayo so nagdaku gid ang sunog,” Untaran said in a radio interview.
A liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tank also reportedly exploded, fanning the flames further.
“May naglupok nga LPG kay ang mga linya sang LPG didto sa babaw. So, amo pa ‘to nagdugang pa gid nga nagkalayo… Siguro naka-centralize ang linya sang LPG,” Untaran added.
What may have caused the blaze?
Based on initial questioning made by the mayor to the mall’s management, the fire may have started at the counter area, but this was still subject for verification.
Untaran also noted that the ceiling of the second floor collapsed due to enormous flames.
“May na-trap nga mga bombero pero nakagwa man sila,” he added.
The second floor has an area of approximately 1,000 square meters, Untaran said.
He said fire had been controlled past 7:30 p.m. However, around 8 p.m., flames continued to crawl at the back portion of the mall. The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) was overseeing the scene.
As of this writing, the BFP has yet to declare a “fire out.”
There were no reports of casualties so far, Untaran said.
No nearby residential houses or boarding spaces have been reported damaged as this was being written.
Authorities have also yet to determine the total damage incurred.
What Untaran is concerned now is the subsequent loss of jobs by mall workers.
He said there were more or less 100 workers assigned in the second floor of the mall.
The boardinghouses were these workers are residing could also lose income.
“Masubo ang natabo. Damo naman ang na-displace nga mga workers,” he said./PN