ARSON was the cause of the fire that hit the Municipal Trial Court (MTC) in Minglanilla town, southern Cebu around noon Tuesday, December 12, 2023.
Mayor Rajiv Enad announced in a Facebook post Tuesday night that according to a spot report of Minglanilla Police Chief Captain Kalvin Golitod, the fire started when Jose Mesa Agusto, 60, who worked at MTC, lit the documents placed under his table using a lighter.
Agusto, a resident of Barangay Panadtaran, San Fernando town, died in the incident.
The police report stated that Judge Wilson Ibones saw what Agusto did to the documents, so he asked a certain Darwin Rondina to tell Agusto to stop what he was doing.
Agusto, however, took a fluorescent tube and smashed it on Rondina’s head.
Agusto also hit Ibones and other employees of MTC.
While he was hitting the employees, the fire started to grow bigger. The employees then panicked and tried to get out of the building, but the main door was locked by Agusto.
Jay Arvin Pasadas, a member of the Minglanilla Traffic Command (Mitcom), heard some people screaming inside the building, prompting him to check what happened.
Pasadas told the police that he then saw some employees in the window of the building’s second floor, waving their hands and asking for help.
Pasadas reportedly had to kick the main door hard several times in order to open it. He then rushed to the second floor of the building and forced the door open. He then saw Ibones.
Some residents in the area also responded and helped in bringing the trapped employees out of the MTC.
The injured workers were rushed to a hospital for medical treatment as they sustained burns.
Agusto was declared dead on arrival at the Minglanilla District Hospital.
Enad said in the Facebook post that police have yet to determine Agusto’s motive.
Enad thanked all the members of the Bureau of Fire Protection and other agencies who responded to the incident.
The fire broke out around noon Tuesday, December 12. It left around P6,816,000 worth of damage to property. It also destroyed the offices of Philpost, Municipal Tourism Office, and Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office. (LMY)