AN ESTIMATED P5 million worth of goods and property went up in smoke after fire razed the SM Hypermarket in Barangay Handumanan, Bacolod City on Monday morning, June 10, 2019.
City Fire Marshal Chief Inspector Publio Plotena said Tuesday, June 11, that it took them almost 22 hours to put out the fire that started at 1:25 a.m. on Monday.
He said the business establishment, which was owned by Super Shopping Market Inc., was destroyed. No injuries were reported.
Plotena said the damage estimate could increase when the company submits its affidavit of loss.
He said there’s an allegation that the fire started at the supermarket’s warehouse due to a defective air-conditioning unit, but they will conduct further investigation.
“We cannot conclude it now that it was really the cause of fire, we will wait the final result of the investigation,” he added.
Plotena admitted that they found it difficult to penetrate the building because of the smoke and zero visibility in the area.
He said several fire trucks from various sub-stations, fire volunteers, and neighboring cities and municipalities responded to the alarm as well as to the area of Purok Cagaycay in Barangay 2 to put out the fire that started around 3:49 a.m. on the same day.
Plotena disclosed that they prioritized the area of Purok Cagaycay to prevent casualties. SM Hypermarket was located in a confined area and there was no possibility that the fire would spread to the neighboring structures.