Blaze hits Davao del Norte market

An early morning fire destroyed market stalls in the Carmen public market in Davao del Norte. GOOGLE MAP

TAGUM CITY, Philippines – About two dozen stalls were razed when fire broke out before dawn at the public market in Carmen town, Davao del Norte, on Monday, authorities said.

The fire of still undetermined origin occurred at about 4 a.m. along a row of barbeque stalls several meters from the municipal hall compound in Barangay Ising, according to Chief Insp. Edward Jungco, municipal police chief.

Quoting initial reports from arson investigators, Jungco said the blaze might have started from one of the stalls and quickly spread.

“All of the 24 stalls were made of wood and other light materials,” Jungco said, adding firefighters from Carmen and Panabo City were able to put the fire under control in 50 minutes.

An initial assessment by the Bureau of Fire Protection placed the damage at about P1.5 million, Jungco said.

He said investigation was underway to determine what caused the blaze. CBB/rga