Naia parking lot operator willing to pay owners of 19 burnt cars

The incident that gutted 19 vehicles is believed to have been caused by a grass fire, although the MIAA is still waiting for the final report from the Bureau of Fire Protection. GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

MANILA, Philippines — The operator of the parking lot at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 3, that was hit by a fire on Monday, has offered to compensate the owners of 19 vehicles that were destroyed.

Speaking at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing on state television, Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) spokesperson Chris Bendijo said on Tuesday that Philippine Skylanders International Inc. (PSII) had expressed willingness to assume liability for the damaged vehicles.

Bendijo said that so far, only seven car owners had contacted the concessionaire to ask about compensation. He added that the others were probably passengers who had yet to return to Naia Terminal 3 after boarding a flight.

The incident is believed to have been caused by a grass fire, although Bendijo said the MIAA is still waiting for the final report from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).

“It’s really like a wildfire that happened. Just to mention, that’s just a 12-minute duration —from the time it was reported to our fire team to the time it was [declared] fireout. That’s how quickly the fire spread,” he said, adding that the afternoon heat and the wind could have contributed to the blaze.

Bendijo said he saw the footage taken by a closed-circuit TV camera of the incident and based on his personal observation, he did not see any indication of sabotage or arson.

“It appears that it’s really grass fire but again, we’ll just wait for the report from the BFP,” he said.

Area ordered cleared

For now, airport officials have temporarily closed the parking lot to allow its operator to clear the area of dried grass.

Bendijo said that before the fire, PSII was preparing to clear the lot of grass and cover it with crushed rocks and gravel.

“For this particular area, the general manager has given strict instructions that they cannot operate until all the grass has been removed and covered with crushed rocks and gravel. In the meantime, while they are complying with that, our firetruck owned by MIAA will be stationed near this area to really make sure that nothing similar will [happen],” he said.

According to Bendijo, MIAA general manager Eric Ines also ordered security personnel at airport parking areas to be provided with bigger fire extinguishers. Bendijo noted that guards stationed at the PSSI parking lot used four small fire extinguishers when they responded to the first car they saw on fire, a sport utility vehicle.

He also reminded vehicle owners not to leave flammable substances inside their parked vehicles, such as alcohol and lighters, especially with the high heat index in the airport complex.

After firetrucks coming from outside the airport complained about how difficult it was to get to the site, Bendijo said the MIAA would look into special traffic measures, such as counterflow points, to give these easier access in case of emergencies.