A SMALL fire broke out from the second floor session hall of the Supreme Court (SC) on Monday, prompting justices and employees alike to scamper out of the main building as the alarm went off. No casualty was reported when the fire broke out.
Chief Justice Reynato Puno said he saw smoke coming out of an adjacent room of the division conference room where he was holding a briefing with members of the Office of the Court Administrator at around 4 p.m.
"I was in a meeting in the en banc conference room when I saw smoke coming out from the flooring. Immediately, we went out of the room, and that's when the alarm went off," he said in an interview with reporters.
Puno however said all the records of the courts on cases remain safe and intact as they were electronically stored.
About 10 fire trucks from the Manila Fire Department and volunteer firefighters responded to the alarm.
Manila Fire Marshal Pablito Cordeta said the fire could have been caused by an electrical short circuit but that they are still investigating the matter. He said no records were damaged during the incident.
"It was an electrical short circuit that sparked the fire, and then went to the highly combustible curtains. That started the fire," Cordeta said when interviewed by reporters.
According to Cordeta, the fire started at the en banc session hall, with the flames reaching the ceiling and perimeter wall.
"There is only minimal damage to the structure," said the fire official.
Due to the thick smoke, firefighters had difficulty entering the second floor. Some had tried to get to the third-floor balcony onto the second floor. A fireman tried to destroy the glass windows at the second floor using a plastic monoblock chair.
Fire trucks had difficulty entering the SC compound because of the Justice of Wheels buses parked at the front gate as well as court employees who were dawdling about the grounds.
The fire reached second alarm and was totally put out about 4:40 p.m. or 40 minutes later. (ECV/Sunnex)
