Several patients, doctors, nurses, and other staff cram the PGH Atrium area to escape the fire that broke out in the hospital’s main building at around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. (UP OFFICE OF THE STUDENT REGENT FACEBOOK)
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 10:13 p.m. Wednesday) — A fire that hit the medicine ward of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) Wednesday afternoon was declared under control at 3:45 p.m.
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said the first alarm was raised at 3:08 p.m. and upgraded to second alarm three minutes later.
It was put out at 4:30 p.m., the BFP added.
While the cause of the fire is still under investigation, the BFP reported that it originated on the ground floor of the audiovisual room.
The estimated worth of damage was more or less P1.4 million.
It added that no injuries or fatalities were reported.
There were also no families affected by the incident, but the BFP said that one establishment was partially gutted.
In a statement, the Department of Health said that all hospitals in Metro Manila are ready to assist the displaced patients from the PGH.
“Upon finding out of a fire at the UP-PGH, the DOH Health Emergency Management Bureau (HEMB) extended assistance to UP-PGH for the transfer of patients to various DOH hospitals,” it said in a statement.
READ: The dangers of fire: Common causes and tips on how to prevent it
“All DOH hospitals in NCR (National Capital Region) have been alerted and are prepared to accommodate patients,” it added.
No call for a donation
The University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) clarified in a Facebook post that there is no call for donations directly coming from them.
“Thus, all initiatives and programs calling for donations in relation to the recent fire incident are not officially organized by the agency. We urge the general public to be vigilant in participating in these activities,” it said.