Pregnant woman, 4 others hurt in gasoline station fire

IBA, ZAMBALES—A pregnant woman and four other people were hurt in a fire that razed a gasoline station and commercial establishments here on Friday morning, fire officials said.

The 10:30 a.m. fire may have started at the Starport gas station in Barangay Zone 1 in this capital town, according to FO3 Recto Ecalnir, municipal fire marshal.

Ecalnir said the fire reached the first alarm but was put out an hour later.

Mary Joyce Toralba, the pregnant woman, suffered burns and was brought to a hospital here. She was reportedly working at one of the commercial stalls near the gasoline station.

Gas station workers Bernard Modelo, 47, Jerry Millama, 56, Principe Latorero, 32, and Erwin Esteva, 33, were being treated for first and second degree burns.

Fire investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fire but Ecalnir said they were looking into the handling of the gasoline station’s fuel tanker.

Damage costs were not available at press time./rga