13-hour fire hits Mandaue factory

A FIRE struck a  warehouse owned by the Philippine Coil Industry, resulting in the loss of P2.5-million worth of property in Hernan Cortes Street, barangay Banilad, Mandaue City, last Monday evening.

Mandaue City Fire Marshall Rogelio Bongabong said sacks of combustible materials like crushed coconut shells in sacks, coffee powder and gum powder fueled the blaze, which razed 100 square meters of land.

The materials were used for manufacturing mosquito coils. The property is owned by Ramon Dakay.

But Bongabong said no equipment was damaged during the fire that lasted for 13 hours.

Bongabong said assistance came from firefighters in Consolacion town, the cities of Cebu and Lapu-Lapu, the Cebu Filipino Chinese Fire Brigade, the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation and Accident Control and Emergency Rescue Unit.

He said the fire broke out twice.  The fire alarm was received at 10:15 p.m., and the fire was controlled 30 minutes later.

But another fire broke out at 3 a.m., said SF02 Roy Garcia, investigator of the Mandaue City Fire Department.

Garcia said the fire was finally put out at 11:30 a.m. yesterday.

Bongabong said they are verifying reports that faulty electrical wiring caused the fires.

Dakay said his family was already engaged in the manufacture of mosquito coils since 1961. Reporter Jucell Marie P. Cuyos and Correspondent Norman V. Mendoza