Fire hits another mall in Davao City

DAVAO CITY — A fire of still undetermined origin struck another shopping mall here on Sunday, authorities said.

The blaze at Gaisano Mall of Davao on J.P Laurel Avenue was put under control minutes after it started around 8:15 p.m., the Central 911 emergency service said.

Though the fire happened during shopping hours, no one was hurt, with mall personnel assisting in the evacuation of shoppers.

The blaze reportedly started at the shopping center’s second floor.

An investigation into the incident was now underway, officials said.

Sunday’s fire was the second to have hit the city’s malls this year.

Last September, a new branch of the New City Commercial Center (NCCC) Mall in Buhangin district was also hit by a minor blaze, nine months after its shopping mall in Maa was razed by a massive fire that led to the deaths of 38 people, mostly workers of a business process outsourcing (BPO) company that leased a part of the burned-down establishment.

Some 33 individuals, including mall executives, its contractors and city fire officials were slapped with criminal and administrative charges as a result of the Dec. 23 tragedy. /atm