Fire of still unknown origin broke out at 12:30 a.m. Friday and razed the entire public market of Dauin, Negros Oriental, leaving an initial estimated P11 million damage to the government-owned property.
The cost of commodities and other goods that were also destroyed in the fire that lasted for more than three hours has yet to be determined, fire investigators said.
Seventy-six stalls were totally burned while four other stores were spared in the fire that engulfed the entire block occupied by the public market along the national highway in Dauin, about 12 kilometers south of this capital city.
No casualty was reported even though one person who was reportedly sleeping at one of the stores at the public market made it to safety, said SPO4 Procolito Briones of the Dauin police.
The Dauin fire personnel responded immediately to the callout received around 12:30 a.m. from a civilian, identified as Jury “Waway” Regalado, 16 years old, a resident of Poblacion 1, Dauin, who called the authorities, said Briones.
Initial investigation disclosed the fire appears to have started at the ceiling of the store owned by a certain Cristina Siason.
Others that responded were the fire departments of Dumaguete City, Bacong and Zamboanguita, and the Filipino-Chinese volunteers.
No looting took place at the fire scene which Dauin police immediately secured, said SFO4 Briones.
Meanwhile, Fire Officer 3 Joel Mission of the Bureau of Fire Protection in Dumaguete City said they received the fire alarm from the Bacong fire station at 1:00 in the morning and when they arrived at the fire scene, the fire had already spread to neighboring stalls and had engulfed the whole area.
Among the first responders included civilians who were playing billiard right across the street at a billiard hall.
Domingo Moral, Jr. and Samuel Alabata, Jr. who took a video footage of the initial stage of the fire disclosed they asked Regalado to inform the police and the fire station about the blaze.
FO3 Mission admitted they had problems with the water hydrant because of different size of the fire hose that will fit with the firehose of firetrucks from Dumagute, Filipino Chinese and the Pamela firetruck, except for firetrucks from Dauin, Zamboanga and Valencia.
According to Mission, Engine No. 5 of the Dumaguete Fire Station had to go back to Dumaguete to refill water from the overhead tank located at the public market in the city.
No casualty was reported but one of the firemen from Dumaguete Fire Officer 1 Rene Lagudas had to be brought to the city health clinic due to suffocation.
Meanwhile, Dauin Mayor Neil Credo immediately convened a meeting with the members of the municipal council and department heads to find ways to provide assistance to the displaced vendors.
At the same time, the local government of Dauin will also be looking at allocating P500,000 for a temporary public market although its location still has to be identified, the mayor added.
Mayor Credo also assured the LGU will giving modest financial assistance to the fire victims as he announced that the municipality is hopeful to build a modern one-building public market next year. (PNA)
