CEBU CITY -- A fire that hit a mall and sent smoke into an adjacent hotel tested Cebu City firefighters’ ability to deal with high-rise emergencies.
The fire itself was short-lived. The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) received the alarm at 3:04 p.m. and said the flames were put out by 3:14 p.m.
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But thick, black smoke stayed inside the Robinson’s Place and parts of the adjacent Cebu Midtown Hotel for up to four hours. Firefighters were kept busy rescuing shoppers, employees and hotel guests who were trapped inside.
At least 20 people were sent to hospitals, for minor injuries and smoke inhalation.
Hotel employee Ronald Kintanar was also treated for bruises and minor injuries, after he fell while trying to descend from the second floor, using a rope.
Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said he will ask the management of Robinson’s Place to explain reports from those rescued that they heard no fire alarm, which was why they got trapped inside the building.
However, Cebu City Fire Marshall Aderson Comar said the fire apparently didn’t raise the temperature enough to trigger an alarm.
“The alarm has a certain temperature level; if it reaches the required temperature, that is the time the fire alarm will sound,†he explained.
Comar said the thick smoke accumulated because the mall had few openings. Firefighters broke some of the structure’s glass walls to let the smoke out faster.
Comar, who went all the way to the 10th floor of the building to see to it that no one was trapped, said that only the basement and first floors of the mall were damaged.
Damage to property was initially estimated at P160,000, but investigators have yet to confirm this, as well as the cause of the fire.
The BFP received the call for help at 3:04 p.m. from Emerit Gaciano Jr., who is the head of the mall’s security department.
Apart from the BFP, fire teams from the Cebu City Fire Station, Filipino-Chinese Brigade, Mandaue Fire Station and some barangays rushed to Fuente Osmeña to help put out the fire.
At least 10 fire trucks converged at the site.
No flames were visible outside the building, only thick smoke.
Some employees and hotel guests came out on the rooftop of the mall and were helped down by firefighters.
SFO1 Vivencio Talle said that according to an initial investigation, a electrical short circuit in one of the first-floor boutiques may have started the fire. That still has to be verified.
Most of the outlets on that floor—including an Internet café, several boutiques, a Jollibee branch and a Cebu Pacific ticketing outlet—suffered “water damage.â€
Comar said at least 20 people who were brought to different hospitals for treatment of slight injuries, but mostly because of smoke inhalation.
The smoke cleared only around 7 p.m.
Maryann Arubo, a resident from Davao City, was one of the guests rescued by the firefighters. She was with her two children in their hotel room, but they were unaware there was a fire since they heard no alarms.
When she opened the window and saw smoke enter the room, that’s when Arubo rushed out with the children and fortunately saw firefighters, who helped them out.
Belinda Banal from Kuwait was with her son Paul inside their room. They were also rescued by FO1 Fulbert Navarro from the Special Rescue Unit, who held a ladder for them. Banal and her son had to descend from the mall’s roof.
A total of 50 guests were rescued.
In an interview with reporters, Mayor Rama said he will also ask the Office of the Building Official to investigate and see if requirements on fire prevention were met.
The mayor also instructed the Cebu City Police Office to deploy police officers to the mall, to prevent looting.
Cebu City Police Office Chief Melvin Buenafe said they are ready to coordinate with the security personnel of the mall and the hotel, in order to guard the building while the BFP’s investigation proceeds.
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Topic: 20 in hospital after mall fire in Cebu (Read 1125 times)