2-hour fire hits building in Newport City

MANILA, Philippines—A two-hour fire engulfed portions of a residential condominium under construction at Newport City in front of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.

Fire Officer 3 Rodolfo Bulatao said the blaze at the Sarasota Residences reached the fourth alarm before firefighters put out the fire past noon Tuesday. Authorities were first informed of the blaze at 9:53 a.m.

Bulatao said firefighters had difficulty entering the fire scene which was at the basement of one of the buildings there because of the thick black smoke from the blaze.

“It’s possible that the fire consumed chemicals in the area like paint and other materials,” he said over the phone although he clarified that the view he offered was only his theory.

Arson investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fire and its damage to the building being built by the Megaworld Corp.

Originally posted at 12:16 pm | Tuesday, November 22, 2011