Boy, parents among 5 dead in firecracker warehouse blast

Inquirer files

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — The bodies of a couple who worked as caretakers of the firecracker warehouse at Marquez Drive in Barangay Tetuan here and their 3-year-old son were among those recovered from the rubble of the explosion on Saturday, a Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) official said.

Rolly Limen, 38, and his wife Mirriam, caretakers of the warehouse owned by Jonathan Chua, died in the explosion along with their son Arden, said Fire Inspector Eldee Grace Michelle Punzalan, officer in charge of the BFP in the city. Chua was earlier reported among the wounded.

READ: 5 dead, 20 hurt after firecracker warehouse explosion in Zamboanga City

The couple and their child had been residing in the building, said Punzalan.

Rolly was about to close the warehouse when the explosion happened, according to accounts from witnesses. The blast toppled several electrical posts, cutting off the electricity in its surrounding areas. Succeeding explosions were also reported after parts of the storage caught fire.

The bodies of the two other fatalities—Junelyn Ramos, storekeeper of the adjacent Chua-owned Next Steps Fireworks store, and that of Erikka Lacastesantos, 18, a senior high school graduate and a young mother working as an events employee for the Chua family—were later found within the compound after the firemen declared a fire out at 6:40 p.m.

The explosion trapped a number of people under the rubble and it took time for the responders to secure and identify the bodies. Aside from the five who died, 38 persons were wounded in the blast.

Punzalan said the explosion caused the 857-square-meter firecracker warehouse to collapse while at least 16 neighboring houses, along with vehicles parked nearby, were either destroyed or damaged. Damage to properties was placed by Punzalan at P62.5 million.

Safety issues

Zamboanga City Mayor John Dalipe immediately ordered a thorough probe into the blast.

However, Rommel Allan Labayog, science research analyst of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology in Zamboanga, believed the local government, the BFP and even the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) must answer for the incident.

Labayog, in a postblast assessment, said the presence of children in a warehouse storing hazardous items was already a red flag on safety issues.

He also noted that Chua was identified as the sole distributor of pyrotechnics in the city, which made it vital for both the BFP and the local government to have closely monitored its operation, “especially when it comes to the provision of the storage area.”

He added: “Anything related to pyrotechnics must not be placed within the residential area, especially as there are children inside. It is also the responsibility of the Dole, as they failed to monitor the occupational safety of the employees,” Labayog said.