Fire guts school building in Ormoc City; no injuries reported

TACLOBAN CITY — A fire broke out and destroyed a newly constructed Grade 8 building with three classrooms at the Ormoc City National High School in Barangay Don Felipe Larrazabal, Ormoc City, on Wednesday night, authorities said.

Based on a report from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)–Regional Office 8, the blaze involved a one-storey educational building owned by the Department of Education (DepEd)–Ormoc City Division. 

The fire was reported at 11:43 p.m. on Wednesday and was immediately raised to first alarm status.

READ: Fire razes 4 classrooms in Quezon town public school

Firefighters arrived at the scene at 11:50 p.m., just seven minutes after the alarm was raised. The fire was declared under control and fully extinguished at  12:20 a.m. on Thursday, under the ground command of Fire Inspector Jasper Opada, according to BFP officials.

No injuries or fatalities were reported, and no nearby houses were affected. However, the fire completely razed approximately 150 square meters of the school building, with estimated damage at around P2.25 million.

A total of four fire trucks, one ambulance, and one rescue pickup were deployed during the firefighting operation.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, the BFP said./coa