Wednesday, September 19, 2007 Welder lights cigarette near cab, dies of burns
ABOUT P4 million worth of properties were destroyed in a fire that hit an office of a shipping company.
Cebu City Fire Marshal Esmael Codilla said the fire gutted the third floor of the three-story building of Sulpicio Lines Inc. located between Piers 3 and 4 at the North Reclamation Area.
The fire also damaged the second floor of the building, Codilla said.
A 25-year-old welder, meanwhile, died of severe burn injuries when the gasoline tank of a jeepney, which was being repaired, caught fire at 10:30 p.m. last Sunday.
The police’s homicide section identified the victim as Christopher N. Maloloy-on of Sitio Sto. Niño, Barangay Lahug, Cebu City.
Maloloy-on lit a cigarette near the tank when the gasoline in it caught fire from the lighter’s flame. The blaze burnt Maloloy-on. Doctors said he suffered second-degree burns.
He was taken to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center but died at 6 a.m. last Monday.
In the fire at the port, firefighters managed to contain the blaze and prevent it from destroying the first floor of the building.
Except for a rookie firefighter, Codilla said nobody else was injured by the fire.
The Cebu City Fire Department received the call for assistance at 3:45 a.m.
Codilla said they fought the fire for 32 minutes before it was declared under control. The fire was designated as a second alarm.
Codilla said they did not encounter problems like crowd control and narrow paths in the firefighting because the fire scene was confined in just one building, which was located in an open area.
Initial information gathered by Codilla and SFO2 Alikasem Espinola, the investigator assigned to the incident, showed that the fire started at the third floor of the building.
The fire caused the roof of the building to collapse, Codilla said.
Codilla said the cause of the fire is still being investigated. Among the possible causes they are looking into are electrical short-circuit, “readily combustible” materials and flammable liquid.
He said the building is undergoing a renovation.
Codilla initially pegged the damage at P4-million. He, however, said that the amount may increase.
In a GMA 7 Balitang Bisdak report, the management of Sulpicio assured passengers that despite the incident, services of the shipping lines will continue. (JST)
