Army camp blaze cost AFP P19 million

The May 7 Fort Bonifacio fire that set off a series of explosions, killed a soldier, and injured over 20 responders also destroyed P19 million worth of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) property, according to Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Noel Detoyato.

Among the items lost in the blaze were four bomb suits costing P2 million each, Detoyato told the Inquirer Saturday.

The building that burned down, one used by the Explosives and Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Battalion, cost P3.65 million, he added.

The explosives stored in the structure, which the military earlier said were only for instructional purposes, included blocks of C4 and one-half-pound TNTs. Along with computers and other office equipment, also gone were plated body armors, an EOD technician kit and a telescopic manipulator, among others.

The morning fire, now the subject of military and civilian probes, injured at least 25 soldiers, firefighters and volunteers, one of whom—Army Cpl. Bernabe Mota, 30—succumbed to severe burns Friday.

Two other soldiers who suffered burns covering almost 80 percent of their bodies were set to be transferred to the East Avenue Medical Center’s burn unit on Saturday.