Fire razes school building in Camarines Sur

NAGA CITY, Philippines–A three-classroom building was burned to the ground on the second day of classes in Camarines Sur on Tuesday afternoon, a local official said.

The fire broke out around 4:45 p.m. at a school building of the Manguiring Elementary School in Barangay (village) Manguiring, Calabanga, Camarines Sur   just a few minutes before classes ended for the day, said Victor De Villa, village captain of Manguiring.

De Villa said the fire lasted for an hour and fifteen minutes before it was declared ‘fire out’ at around 6 p.m. by firefighters from Calabanga and Naga City.

He said no student was hurt in the fire as most had already left their classrooms due to early dismissal. The few students left in the rooms were also herded to safety, he said.

But books and pupils’ records were completely burned by the fire, he added.

De Villa said fire authorities blamed faulty and old wiring for the blaze.

He also said that the extreme heat that prevailed during the day might have contributed to the extent of the fire apart from the fact that the building was old.

He said the Calabanga fire department was still determining the exact amount of property losses incurred in the fire.