By Perla Lena | Philippine News Agency
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) has initially pegged the damage in the fire that gutted a public market in Oton, Iloilo on Monday at over P44 million.
The damage may still increase once the content and merchandise will be included upon declaration of stall owners.
The fire started around 12:05 a.m. at the stall of Jennylyn Callos from the dry goods section and spread to adjacent stalls, according to BFP Iloilo deputy fire director, Inspector Roberto Tamayo, in a phone interview.
The fire totally gutted 212 stalls in the various sections of the market, and partially burned an undetermined number of stalls at the fish section.
Tamayo said the fire was believed to be caused by electrical connection but will be subjected to further investigation.
“Our investigators gathered some debris samples that will be subjected to confirmation by our experts to identify whether or not there was an electrical circuit,” he said.
The fire was placed under control at 2:23 a.m. and was declared fire out at 9:08 a.m.
“The clearing operation is still ongoing to make sure that the area is cleared of embers before we pull out,” he added.
The affected area was initially cordoned to preserve any evidence that could help in the investigation.
Once cleared, the stall owners will already be allowed to enter.
Tamayo said there are portions of the market that still operate.
In a statement released by the Office of Iloilo 1st district Congresswoman Janette Garin, those affected will receive an initial financial assistance of P5,000 while the situation is still being assessed.
“This might be small compared to their economic losses but they can use this as starting capital as they rebuild and restart,” she said.
She added the public market was loaded with goods because Monday happens to be Oton’s market day. (PNA) -rir
