THE vintage bombs spared by fire that broke out in an open lot at the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) will have to be detonated immediately to avoid danger, a police official said.
Had the flames eaten up the bombs only a few inches away last Sunday noon, a portion of the Special Weapons and Tactics (Swat) building could have blown up.
“We have already requested for the proper disposal of the (bombs),” assured Senior Supt. Benjamin Santos, officer-in-charge of the CCPO, yesterday.
Fire broke out near a pile of vintage bombs and a wall of a police department building at the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) compound at lunchtime yesterday.
Short circuit
The fire did not eat up the bombs numbering more than a dozen. The fire was caused by an electrical short circuit in the breaker of an air conditioner.
Immediately after the fire was put out by firefighters at 12:48 p.m., or eight minutes after it was reported, Swat operatives soaked the bombs in cold water.
Santos said the bombs must be detonated before the month ends as these may pose danger to anybody, especially that with the heat brought about by summer.
Open area
The bombs had been stored in the open area nearest to the Swat building, in the middle of piles of carton, wood and seized illegal gambling machines.
Their previous storage space had been vacated to pave way for a building construction.
Santos said talks are ongoing between his police office and a mining company in Toledo City for the disposal of the bombs.
Coordinated
He has also coordinated with the Armed Forces of the Philippines’s Central Command in Cebu.
“I have also made proper communication with the City Government that they provide us with the transportation for these bombs,” he said.
Since police operations against illegal possession of explosives and bombs have been intensified as elections draw near, Santos plans to find a more secure storage for the explosives.