MANILA, Philippines — Eight stalls of surplus appliances were gutted by a fire that almost reached the supplies warehouse of the Philippine Red Cross in Port Area, Manila, on Monday.
The fire that started at around 11:30 a.m. at the second hand appliance stall of a certain Khadi Rasid along Roberto S. Oca Street easily spread to the adjacent makeshift stalls also selling surplus appliances, said Manila Fire Marshall Supt. Kaime Ramirez. Some stall owners claimed that they heard explosions on the row of appliance stores in the area before the blaze started.
Ramirez said the fire also razed the warehouse at the back of the stalls where the stocks of appliances have been kept.
The Philippine Red Cross warehouse situated just beside the gutted appliance warehouse was not damaged by the fire. Edison Enriquez of the Red Cross communications department told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that they were lucky that firefighters were able to easily control the blaze from spreading to their warehouse where their supplies and equipment have been stored.
Ramirez noted that fire trucks were able to respond quickly to the area despite the vehicle congestion along the roads leading to the area. The fire was put out at 1:11 p.m.
Arson investigators said there were no reported injuries or casualties in the fire that damaged almost P300,000 worth of property.
The cause of fire, according to Ramirez, is still being investigated but some stall owners claimed that the appliances being sold in one of the stores exploded and triggered the fire.
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