7-hour fire hits Boracay market

Fire razes market stalls on Boracay Island. —JONATHAN CABRERA/RADYO TODO AKLAN

ILOILO CITY — An early morning fire destroyed at least 216 stalls at the D’ Talipapa market on the popular Boracay Island in Malay town, Aklan province, on Monday, reports from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said.

Military reservist Rudy Berdonia was hurt when he tried to rescue one of the stalls’ occupants, according to F/Insp. Sidgie Gerardo, Malay municipal fire marshal.

Gerardo said the cost of damage was estimated to reach at least P10 million.

The fire lasted for at least seven hours.

It started at 4:30 a.m. at the center of the market and spread quickly to fish and vegetables stalls. It was put under control at 11:30 a.m. and declared out at 12:05 p.m.

The two fire trucks on the 1,032-hectare island were augmented by fire trucks from the mainland in Barangay Caticlan in Malay and the neighboring towns of Buruanga, Ibajay and Tangalan.

Four fire trucks were transported to Boracay by barge to augment BFP personnel and volunteer firefighters, according to Gerardo.

Investigators were still determining the cause of the fire.

Last year, a large fire hit the Talipapa Bukid, also a market on the island, destroying around 180 stalls and boarding houses. —Nestor P. Burgos Jr.