They flee fire, not flood, in Pasay City

Amid heavy rains and while other parts of the city were underwater, firemen were still trying to put out a warehouse blaze in Pasay City as of Wednesday afternoon, more than 24 hours after it started.

Smoke was still seen billowing out of the four-story structure at the corner of Russel and FB Harrison streets, a short distance from the Baclaran area.

Residents in surrounding houses have decided to evacuate, taking most of their valuables, for fear of the flames crossing over.

“We are still not totally sure what’s in there,” one of the evacuees said.

The fire broke out around 2 p.m. the previous day and reached Task Force Bravo in less than two hours.

“The fire was already huge on the first and second floors when we arrived here on Tuesday,” said Insp. Jun Marie Marcaida, chief commander for operations of the Pasay fire bureau.

The building used to serve as a storage area for shoes and slippers. The combustible materials made it hard for the firemen to completely put the fire out within a few hours, Marcaida said.

The damage has so far been placed at P2.5 million, with investigators yet to determine the cause of the fire.