Fire hits coffin warehouse

Awarehouse owned by the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes in barangay Lahug, Cebu City was destroyed by fire yesterday.

Structural damage was pegged at P300,000. The amount does not include damage to coffins and raw materials stored inside the warehouse, said SPO4 Jovito Abelgas. He said investigators are still looking into the cause of the fire.

“We will invite the workers to help in the investigation,” Abelgas said.

The fire started at 10:41 a.m. in a portion of RSD Resources International, a member of the Dychangco Group of Companies which owns Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes.

The fire was contained in 10 minutes.

Combustible chemicals such as paints were stored in the warehouse which caused the fire to spread, said Abelgas. No one was hurt in the incident.

Earlier before 7 a.m., a fire alarm was sounded for the Cebu City Hall legislative building .

An overheated air-conditioner in the office of former councilor Jose Daluz III may have caused the fire.

Thick smoke was seen coming out of the office at 6:58 a.m. The building’s water sprinkler system prevented the flames from spreading.

Jojo Echavez, a staff member, said he had just arrived at City Hall when he saw firefighters rushing into their office.

Echavez helped open the office since he keeps the key.

Daluz, executive assistant of Mayor Michael Rama, said he was told by his staff that they switched off computers in the office before they left late Thursday afternoon. But because of brownouts in City Hall that day, the staff were not sure if the air-conditioner was shut down.