Fire hits branch of Davao City mall destroyed last December

Published @ 12:20 p.m., Sept. 16, 2018 | Updated @ 11:45 p.m., Sept. 16, 2018

DAVAO CITY — A branch of the New City Commercial Center (NCCC) Mall in Buhangin District here was damaged by fire early on Sunday, only a day after its formal opening with much fanfare and nearly nine months after its mall in the village of Ma-a was razed by what could be the city’s deadliest fire, killing 38 people.

The mall has been operating since July but its formal opening was held just last Saturday.

Authorities were investigating what caused the fire that gutted a portion of the cinema section on the fourth level of the mall past midnight, according to Fire Chief Insp. Virnalita Silagan, Davao City fire marshal.

Silagan told Inquirer by phone that equipment and personnel from the Bureau of Fire Protection, the city’s 911 Emergency Response Unit and ambulances were sent to the newly opened NCCC branch after the mall alarm was triggered around 12:57 a.m.

The blaze was put out in minutes, she said.

Sound system

The fire destroyed the theater’s sound system and caused P400,000 in damage.

Ran by Filipino-Chinese-owned LTS Malls, the shopping center was declared fully operational on Saturday, nearly a month after its owners and several government and fire officials were indicted for homicide and other charges in connection with the deadly Dec. 23 blaze that hit the NCCC branch in the village of Ma-a.

The charges were filed after an interagency government task force investigating the Ma-a blaze found lapses that led to the disaster.

No one was hurt in the latest NCCC Mall fire.

At least 33 persons have been charged over the tragic NCCC Ma-a fire.

Those charged included members of the family that owned NCCC. /ee /pdi