Fort Victoria fire put to test condo preparedness, says developer

Fort Victoria tower on fire. Contributed Photo by Kryselle Pascual

MANILA, Philippines—The developer of a high-end condominium in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig that caught fire clarified Thursday that the building is still “ready for occupancy” despite the incident.

On Tuesday, fire broke out in the 25-storey Tower B of Fort Victoria at the corner of 23rd street and 5th avenue in BGC. No one was reported injured in the incident.

Wilfredo Ayson, New San Jose Builders Incorporated vice chairman, said in a statement to INQUIRER.net that the overall engineering design of Fort Victoria “upholds all standards of safety and security as required by the BGC building code.”

“This small incident has put to test our preparedness to any emergency. We assure everyone, including our clients, that Fort Victoria is still one of the safest and the most secure among all condominiums hereabouts,” said Ayson.

As soon as the fire was discovered, Ayson said the fire  on the fourth floor of Fort Victoria Tower B was “immediately put out and was extinguished within 45-minutes due to the built-in sprinklers” of the building.

According to the safety investigators, the fire came out from the bottom of the garbage chute of Tower B at the fourth floor parking podium. Fort Victoria is composed of three towers–Tower A, B, and C–but only Tower B was affected.

“All our units are built with Hardiflex, a fire-resistant material made of wood and cement,” Ayson added.
The developer also pointed out that there were no gas pipes in the building that could be the source of a leaked gas, thus causing fire.

Aysos also lauded the firefighters from Taguig City Fire Department for their “quick and effective response.”

“This is a reassuring fact, that Fort Victoria is easily accessible to security and firefighting crews of two cities–Makati and Taguig.”

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