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Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Fire ravages councilor's warehouse
By Annabelle L. Ricalde
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- Responding firemen tried to enter the warehouse owned by Councilor Alfonso Goking several times Tuesday but were driven back by thick, black smoke from burning rubber and textile.
They also attempted to use an aerial ladder to pour water on the fire but it was too short. The water from the firemen on the aerial ladder only reached the fourth floor of the five-storey building.
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Without breathing gear and smoke masks, the firemen had to give up. They spent the day trying to douse the fire the old-fashioned way: training their hoses to the burning building from the streets.
Fortunately, the thick firewalls of the burning five-storey warehouse prevented the fire from spreading to other buildings in Daumar Street.
"Lisod makasulod ang mga bombero tungod sa aso nga sakit sa mata ug ilong kay mga rubber ug tela baya ang nangasunog (It was difficult for our firemen to enter the building because of the thick smoke from burning rubber and textile)," said City Fire Marshall Benigno Amomonpon Jr.
The fire, believed to have been caused by a discarded cigarette, started at the second floor of the warehouse around 7:30 a.m., according to Councilor Goking.
"Sa akong pag-analyze dili kuryenti ang hinungdan kay pagsira sa tindahan palong pud tanan ang kuryenti (I believe it was not faulty electrical wirings that started it because we put off all the electricity when we close every afternoon)," Goking told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro.
Goking said the warehouse was filled with shoes, slippers, ready-to-wear clothes, and groceries -- enough merchandise in anticipation of the coming August 28 city fiesta.
The firemen tried to use three gallons of AFFF (Aqueous Film-Forming Foam), a chemical, which if mixed with water, could be use against burning liquids like rubber.
But the fire raged on prompting the firemen to stop applying the chemical.
"Dili namo puwede hutdon ang among nabilin nga stock ani nga chemical kay wala nami lain gi-issue sa amo. Pang last recourse namo ni sa uban pang dagkong sunog (We cannot use up our remaining stock of this chemical. This is our last recourse for other big fires)," Amomonpon said.
He said the chemical, which deprives the fire of oxygen, thus extinguishing it, is very expensive and hard to find.
Amomonpon said they decided not to apply chemicals anymore when they saw the fire was already contained inside the warehouse and had no possibility to spread because of its strong firewalls.
Eleven fire trucks from the Bureau of Fire Protection, Gaisano, Philippine Army, Graphics Fire Rescue Volunteers, Alwana Business Park and Mindanao Timber company responded to Tuesday's fire.
Four hydrants were opened and harnessed for the water supply.
Goking said the warehouse, one of the oldest buildings in the Cogon area, including the merchandise, was not insured at all. (Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Baguio. (July 30, 2008 issue)
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