FIRE broke out at the Vic Enterprises warehouse in St. Jude Street, Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City shortly after midnight on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, causing an estimated P1.4 million in damage.
The Cebu City Fire Station said it received a call from a concerned citizen and immediately dispatched personnel to the area, with assistance from the Mabolo Police Station.
The fire was raised to first alarm at around 1:06 a.m. after flames quickly spread through materials stored inside the warehouse of the famous hardware.
Ronieglen Lopez, 20, a single mechanic working at the warehouse, said he noticed smoke coming from the building at around 11 p.m. on Tuesday, August 25.
Lopez was among the workers staying in houses near the warehouse provided by the company for its employees.
“When I opened the window, I saw that the fire was already burning intensely. I went downstairs to get water because we thought we could still put it out, but we couldn’t. So, I woke up my co-workers,” Lopez said in Cebuano.
The fire affected 13 individuals or six families, all of whom are employees of the hardware store.
No one was injured as the affected residents were able to evacuate immediately.
Firefighters declared the blaze under control at 1:14 a.m. and completely extinguished it at 1:24 a.m., about 10 minutes later.
Authorities are continuing their investigation to determine the cause of the fire. (JDG)
