AN ESTIMATED P15 million worth of property was destroyed in the fire that hit DTS Lumber in Zone 1, Jacinto Mayol Street in Barangay Canduman, Mandaue City at 1:19 a.m. Tuesday, April 13, 2021.
According to Julito Dandan, a stay-in machine operator of the manufacturing company, the sleeping personnel awoke to the heat and sight of the fire. They rushed out of the factory.
In an interview by Superbalita with the secretary of the company, Lily Barbecho, there are two stay-in workers and three families of workers living in front of the factory. The fire also destroyed their living quarters.
Barbecho said that her neighbor, a habal-habal driver who passed by at the time, woke up the residents who then rushed to her house located not far from the factory. The fire was already big by the time she got to the factory.
The workers said that the fire started at the office of the factory. They said that the firefighters took a long time to arrive.
FO1 Denzel Espares of the Mandaue City Fire Station (MCFS) said that they wait for calls or alarms to alert them of any fire incident.
MCFS received the alarm at 1:19 a.m. It was raised to the second alarm at 1:42 a.m. They controlled the fire at 2:40 a.m. and put it out at 4:35 a.m.
Fire investigators said that the fire started in the office and quickly spread throughout the factory. As of press time, the investigation is still ongoing.
While waiting for the company owners’ decision on where they will be residing, the workers will be putting up temporary quarters on the lot of the razed factory. (KFD/With NRC)