Thursday, April 03, 2008 Fire hits Tiong San Harrison
A STILL undetermined amount of property was damaged when a fire gutted the upper floors of Tiong San Harrison last Wednesday.
As of 9 p.m. Wednesday, firefighters from various government and private agencies were still trying to contain the conflagration that hit the storage and administrative office of the said establishment.
According to Senior Fire Officer (SFO) 2 Jose Estoesta of the Baguio City Fire Office (BCFO), the fire was first reported to him at 1:18 p.m.
First to respond to the blaze were two fire trucks of the BCFO followed by a mini-pumper of the same station.
Personnel there subsequently called for backup support from the Benguet Electric Cooperative, the Camp John Hay Fire Station, the La Trinidad Fire Station and the Baguio Water District.
At 2:30 p.m., a ladder truck of the same station joined the firefighting, after the first responders were not able to contain the conflagration then.
Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Regional Director Olivia Luces said the blaze started from the storage area at the fifth floor.
"The fire is confined at the fifth and sixth floors only. These floors (contain) the main storage area and the administrative office of Tiong San management," she said.
"The Baguio firefighters and volunteer personnel are working together to suppress the fire," Luces added.
While no person was killed or injured in the blaze, the amount of damage still has to be ascertained. Likewise, the cause of the conflagration also still has to be looked into.
This is the second big fire to happen in Baguio City this year, after the almost P70 million conflagration that razed the University of Baguio High School and damaged three adjoining buildings last February 16. (ENO)
