Fire razes office of Army reservists in Iligan City; soldier hurt

Map of Iligan City

ILIGAN CITY — An hour-long fire razed the building  of the 1002nd Army Reserve Battalion inside Camp Pintoy in Suarez village here.

According to village chief Butch Geleca, the fire started around 9 a.m. on Wednesday (August 18).

Colonel Edmund Abella, commanding officer of the 1002nd Reserve Battalion, said while the troops were in the office, they noticed black smoke in the building, prompting an officer to call for firefighters.

The fire quickly developed, burning the personal belongings of some personnel, a pistol, and some office equipment. It also gutted a portion of an adjacent building.

Abella said a military personnel, Private First Class Paul Autida,  suffered  first degree burns in the course of rescuing a colleague, Private First Class Jully  Mae Liela, out of the burning barracks.

Abella added that fire investigators are looking into faulty electrical wiring as the likely cause of the blaze.

JPV