A FIRE hit the cinema area on the fourth floor of the newly-opened New City Commercial Center (NCCC) Mall Buhangin on Sunday, September 16.
Senior Police Officer (SFO 2) Ramil Gillado, the deputy chief of the investigation section of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-Davao, said they received the report around 12:57 a.m. on Sunday and firefighters went to the area but the mall security was already able to extinguish the fire.
It was declared fire out around 1:02 a.m. after authorities ensured that there’s no more flame that will likely make it to rekindle.
He added that the cost of damage has reached to P400,000. The fire engulfed the carpet and the speakers that were supposed to be installed inside the cinema.
Fire investigators are yet to establish the cause of the incident however, based on their initial assessment; it could be electrical-related since the construction on that area is still ongoing. They are still investigating the line of electricity and the possibility that there might be a worker who smoked at the fire scene.
They had invited the security guards of the mall and the contractor to get their side of the incidents to determine the cause of the blaze.
No casualties were recorded since the incident happened inside the enclosed area at the same time the cinema is not yet operational.
Gillado said that the mall establishment is still under the contractor since it was not yet turned over to the NCCC management so the control is still under the hired contractor.
Meanwhile, based on the official statement of the mall, at 12:45 a.m., the fire alarm in the still unopened 4th floor of the mall sounded off and was heard by the workers on site.
“No customers were on premise at that time and all workers are safe. The BFP has already declared fire out; everyone has been declared safe. We are in close coordination with the LGU (local government unit) and the BFP to determine the origin of the incident. As fire is contained and area has been declared safe by SFO1 Jorge Ingente and FO2 Marjoe Elicano,” the statement read.
Normal mall operations resumed the same day.
Thea Padua, NCCC Public Relations, meanwhile, told SunStar Davao that the cinema of the mall is supposed to open next month and asked whether it’ll be moved due to the incident, she said that there was no advice yet as to the postponement of its launching.