2 cops dead in fire at Camp Crame facility; 2 others injured

Two police officers die in the Logistics Support Service fire in Camp Crame. PHOTO from PNP-PIO

MANILA, Philippines — Two police officers died in a fire that struck the Logistics Support Service (LSS) compound at the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City.

PNP’s Public Information Office (PNP-PIO) said on Friday that the P/Master Sgt. Amado Ormillon Jr. of the Headquarters Support Service and P/Staff Sgt. Nichol Jamosmos of the Special Action Force died while responding to the fire at the LSS area early Friday morning.

Ormillon was said to have been electrocuted while Jamosmos died due to suffocation.

Initial reports from the LSS said that Transportation Management Division Deputy Chief P/Lt. Col. Daniel Vinluan heard a loud burst and saw the fire from the back of an armored vehicle parked at the compound’s vehicle shed.

“In the initial report, the fire started at around 2:00 a.m. at the TMD, LSS Compound,” PNP-PIO said.

“He (Vinluan) then alerted the duty officer to call the Camp Crame Base Fire Station while other LSS personnel on duty immediately responded to suppress the fire using fire (extinguisher) while waiting for the fire engines to arrive,” it added.

SAF’s P/Lt. Victorioso Yulde and P/Staff Sgt. Jesus Apil from the Directorate for Personnel and Records Management were injured in the incident.  The two, including the other two casualties, were brought to the PNP General Hospital inside Camp Crame for treatment.

PNP-PIO said that PNP Chief Gen. Debold Sinas has already ordered a “full-dress investigation into the incident”, which also affected the Transportation Maintenance Division facility of LSS.  Meanwhile, LSS is currently conducting a damage assessment of the incident.

“The Chief PNP instructed Police Brigadier General Arthur Bisnar, Director of the Headquarters Support Service (HSS) to conduct more rigid periodic fire safety inspection of PNP facilities and buildings in Camp Crame especially old structures made of light and combustible materials that may be considered fire hazards,” PNP-PIO added. [ac]