Firemen penetrate Divisoria mall; search for bodies on

The fire that hit Divisoria Mall in Manila was declared under control after 39 hours on Friday, with authorities estimating that 95 percent of the structure had been destroyed.

Firefighters finally managed to enter the ground floor of the building, which was earlier rendered dangerous by thick smoke, and began searching for bodies of possible victims who got trapped in the six-story mall, according to Chief Inspector Bonifacio Carta of the Manila Fire Bureau.

Two persons were rescued from the fire which began at the basement shortly after midnight Thursday.

The fire was declared under control at 3:37 p.m., Carta told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

He said explosions were heard from inside, believed to be that of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) tanks at the food chains on the third floor of the building at the corner of Tabora and M. Santos Streets.

“The explosions, however, did not add to the severity of fire because the ignitions immediately died down,” the fire marshal added.

The cause of the fire remained unknown.

From a high of over a hundred firetrucks that rushed to Manila’s Binondo district, only around 50 remained in the area Friday afternoon. Nancy Carvajal and Tessa Distor