Fire hits Cebu mall, displaces 1,500 workers

CEBU CITY—Around 1,500 workers face a bleak Christmas as the downtown shopping mall where they worked was gutted by fire early Friday.

It took firefighters over 12 hours to contain the fire that hit Gaisano Capital South located at the corner of Leon Kilat and Colon Streets in Cebu City.

The fire broke out at 12:42 a.m. on the second floor of the eight-story building. The fire alarm was raised to Task Force Bravo at 3:55 a.m., said FO2 Ramon Molina of the Cebu City fire department.

Eddie Gaisano, owner of the Gaisano Capital Group, was “very devastated,” said Eric Labrada, the firm’s liaison officer.

The store in Colon was used as the corporate office of the Gaisano Capital, which has 17 branches nationwide.

Labrada said that based on initial report, a spark from the engine room, where the generator was placed, occurred on the second floor before the fire broke out.

He said no one was inside the building at that time although there were six security guards assigned outside the mall.

The firefighters failed to control the fire immediately because they did not have any breathing apparatus and their ladder truck was too short for the eight-story building.

As of 3 p.m. Friday, firefighters from Cebu City and nearby areas were still conducting fire-fighting operations although the fire had been contained.

At first, the firefighters could not get inside the building because the smoke was so thick. The smoke became manageable past 8 a.m., allowing the firemen to get inside and fight the fire at the first and second floors.

But the fire had already spread to the upper floors, which was still difficult to penetrate because of the heavy smoke. The lack of boom ladders also hampered the fire-fighting efforts.

The firemen had to work in shifts because they only had 31 breathing apparatus available. Replenishing the oxygen tanks took 30 minutes before another batch of firemen could enter the building again.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama closed down a portion of Colon Street—from Osmeña Boulevard to corner Leon Kilat Street—and part of Leon Kilat Street, from Colon to Sanciangco Streets, to allow the fire trucks to use the roads.

Most of the nearby shops were closed because the electricity was cut off.

A McDonald’s outlet across the burning building used a generator set to continue operations but it overheated and exploded. Fire broke out but was immediately put out by the firemen who were across the street.

Labrada said the shopping mall had around 1,500 workers who might be displaced two days before Christmas. These include sales and office personnel, security guards and utility workers, both direct hire and agency-based, he added.

Originally posted: 10:49 am | Friday, December 23rd, 2011