Welder, 3 possible witnesses in Kentex fire placed under police protection
THREE people who could stand as “vital witnesses” in the deadly fire in a Valenzuela City factory have been given police protection.
Aside from the witnesses, police placed under protection the welder who reportedly received death threats after the blaze that gutted the Kentex Manufacturing Corp. killed 72 people.
WATCH: Aerial footage of Valenzuela factory gutted by fire
“Not only the welders but also those who can be vital witnesses in this case are on extended police protection but we can’t disclose where they are held,” PNP spokesperson Senior Superintendent Bartolome Tobias said in a press briefing on Tuesday.
Last weekend, Valenzuela City police chief Senior Superintendent Rhoderick Armamento said the welder had sought police protection after he received death threats.
The seven-hour blaze was allegedly caused by a spark from welding work. The welder, whose name was withheld, was fixing a gate of the factory when a spark fell on the highly flammable materials and the fire eventually reached the rubber materials.
“The fact that they are considered vital witnesses in this case, even if they have threats or none, they need to be put in custody to ensure that no harm will be done against them so they could help us in solving this case,” Tobias said. AC
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