MANILA, Philippines — A fire broke out at a stockroom inside the basement of SM Makati early Monday morning, the city fire marshal said.
Firefighters were alerted by a mall security guard around 5:56 a.m. and they rushed to the area immediately, said Supt. Ricardo Perdigon, the Makati city fire marshal.
Authorities managed to control and put out the fire. The area was cleared past 7 a.m.
“The sprinkler system was activated, which helped our personnel in containing the fire,” the fire marshal said over the phone. “The problem we encountered was the thick smoke in the area.”
Firefighters had to wear breathing apparatus to be able to enter the basement and extinguish the fire.
Perdigon said the investigator has not made any conclusion on the cause of the fire. Among the possible causes of the fire were the electric wiring in the area and a discarded cigarette.