Fire, believed caused by an electrical short circuit, hit a two-storey building at La Salle Avenue in Bacolod City yesterday and destroyed P1.5 million worth of properties.

City deputy fire marshal, Insp. Publio Ploteña, said they received a call from Greg Palawal at about 10:32 a.m. informing them that the Sumbingco Building being rented by Mom Realty Corp. was on fire.

Ploteña said they immediately dispatched to the area eight fire trucks that were assisted by those of Tanduay, Amity and Chinese Chamber fire volunteer brigades.

Investigation conducted by Senior Fire Officer 2 Harry Fernandez, Fire Officer 3 Cornelio Silva and Fire Officer 1 Abdul Asis Limpaco showed that the fire originated from one of the rooms in Marby’s Dormitory at the second floor of the building.

Ploteña said the fire was probably caused by an overheated wall fan that was left plugged in by one of the Dormitory’s tenants. The stalls at the ground floor of the building occupied by the Munsterific convenience store, Yummy Yummy burger, Pizzas, GVC Gaming Corp. and Extreme Internet Cafe were also damaged.

Assistant Fire Ground Officer Jayvee Chua of the Chinese Chamber fire volunteer brigade also sustained minor injuries while responding to the fire. Bystanders said they saw thick, black smoke coming out from a window at the second floor of the building.

A volunteer who responded to the incident said the hallways of the dormitory were narrow, making it hard for them to immediately put the fire out.

Ploteña reminded the public to take extra precautionary measures and not leave their electrical appliances plugged. He also said that old electrical wirings should be replaced as these can also result in fire incidents.*APN

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