Fire razes Divisoria Mall, Task Force Charlie raised
MANILA, Philippines—A Task Force Charlie alarm has been declared over the fire that gutted a portion of Divisoria Mall in Manila at the first hour of Thursday, a city fire officer said.
Senior Fire Officer 2 Romel Lorenzo said fire blazed through the basement area of the Divisoria Mall located at the corner of Juan Luna and Tabora Streets in Binondo Manila at 12:12 a.m.
The fire was placed under Task Force Charlie at 5:30 a.m. Thursday.
He said handicrafts and toys are being sold at the basement area, among others. Two persons were earlier rescued from inside the mall.
Meanwhile, a still-unidentified victim was rushed to the hospital. A fire fighter reportedly suffered from suffocation.
“Makapal pa din ang usok kasi hindi masyado makalabas (There’s thick smoke inside. It could barely get out),” he said, making it difficult for fire fighters to enter the building.
A radio report quoted the mall guard as saying that they heard an explosion from a freezer.
Senior Superintendent Aderson Comar, ground commander from the Bureau of Fire Protection-National Capital Region, said at least 40 fire trucks have responded to put out the fire.
