Burned store had no business permit

Firefighters battle an early morning blaze at a garment store in Butuan City Wednesday. The inferno at the three-storey clothing store killed at least 17 employees, most of whom were women who were asleep and trapped on the top floor. AP

BUTUAN CITY—The burned store in which 17 people died in a fire on Wednesday had not been issued a business permit because of unresolved mechanical and electrical issues, according to the head of the city business licensing office.

Paul Cabrera, chief of the Butuan business permit and licensing division, said his office did not issue a business permit to Novo Jeans and Shirts this year after an inspection in September found the building to have problems in electrical and mechanical safety.

“Their application remains pending because there was no compliance yet with electrical and mechanical safety requirements,” Cabrera told a local radio station.

Fire investigators continued to scour the debris of the three-story building that housed Novo, which fire razed on Wednesday dawn and killed 17, mostly store workers.

Wrong figures

The initial death toll was said to be 18 with 17 bodies recovered but in an advisory yesterday afternoon, the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC), said it was established that there were only 20 workers sleeping inside the building when the fire broke out. Three managed to escape during the fire.

Investigators said they still do not know what caused the fire that started 3:55 a.m. and destroyed P30 million worth of property.

Senior Supt. Mario Timonera, director of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Caraga, said fire investigators had to be careful also because the burned building could collapse anytime.

He said BFP could only suspect that the blaze was caused by faulty electrical wiring.

But he said the building had been previously found to be compliant with fire safety regulations.

The task of identifying the dead remained difficult as the bodies have been charred beyond recognition, according to Vice Mayor Lawrence Fortun, chair of the city disaster risk reduction management council (CDRRMC).

So far, only four of the 17 victims have been identified as relatives queued outside the funeral home, waiting for news.

Among them was Teodoro Dispulo of Tandag, Surigao del Sur, whose daughter Pinky, also died in the blaze.

“I’m praying that my daughter can still be identified. I don’t want to bury the wrong person,” he said.

Fortun said any evidence of identification, like dental records, could help speed up the process of identifying the bodies.

“The personal belongings found in the four dead bodies and dental records have led to their early identification,” said Fortun of victims Mae Figueras of Tandag City, Princess Grace Sayre, Amor Dominguez and Hazel Cabana.

He said members of the police’s Scene of Crime Operatives (Soco) were helping in the identification of the remaining victims.

P5,000 in aid

Mayor Ferdinand Amante Jr. also announced the release of P5,000 to relatives of each of the fatalities.

Lawyer Oliver Yuan, who represented Novo owner Alexander Arquizza, said he had talked with relatives of the victims and assured them of help.

“The management is taking full responsibility,” Yuan said.

Yuan declined to comment when asked about an earlier pronouncement from Fortun that charges would have to be pursued against the store owner. Among the charges were possible violations of the Fire Code.

“We will wait until the investigation is finished before issuing any comment on that,” Yuan said.

He also disputed claims by survivors that the steel doors of the establishment were locked from the outside, which trapped the victims. Ramil Bangues, Franklin Caliguid and Bobby Lagsa, Inquirer Mindanao