STRONG winds have fanned the fire inside Metro Ayala Center Cebu causing a flare-up that raged through the establishment around 9 p.m. Saturday.
Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-Central Visayas director Samuel Tadeo said firefighters will work double time to place the fire under control by Sunday dawn, January 7.
Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office Chief Nagiel Bañacia said that firefighters who managed to enter the building on Saturday afternoon have been working hard to stop the fire from spreading to other establishments of the Ayala Center Cebu mall.
Fire Senior Superintendent Tadeo said firefighters are dousing water in advance to prevent the flames from reaching the area where the mall's generator, which contained 8,000 liters of crude oil, is located.
The blaze started at the toys stockroom on the third floor of the Metro Ayala department store around 9:30 p.m. Friday, January 5.
The Bureau of Fire Protection raised the alert level to Task Force Alpha, which means fire trucks from nearby cities have to respond. (JOB/DDA/SunStar Cebu/SunStar Philippines)