Fire hits Albay town market

LEGAZPI CITY – A fire destroyed part of the public market of Polangui town in Albay noontime Tuesday.

The fire, which started at 12:05 p.m., burned less than a half of the market, according to Chief Insp. Edgar Azotea, Polangui police chief.

An initial report said the fire started from the ceiling and spread instantly, damaging some goods and market stalls, Azotea said.

Senior Fire Officer 2 Francis Salcedo Jr., ground commander from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), said they were still conducting investigation on the origin of the fire.

But he said that based on their interviews with the vendors, the fire may have started from faulty wiring.

Before the fire, the electricity in the town was “on and off” and may have caused the thin wires to heat up and set ablaze, Salcedo said.

“Thin wires may start sparks. In the mezzanine, the wires there are very thin and the rats may have nibbled through the insulators. The electricity may have triggered the fire,” Salcedo said.

Fire trucks from Guinobatan, Camalig, Ligao City, and Chinese volunteers from Legazpi City were able to extinguish the fire around 1:30 p.m.

One person was hurt in the incident, Salcedo said.

He said that when he talked to Vice Mayor Herbert Borja, they agreed that the Sangguniang Bayan must recommend rewiring in the entire market.

Salcedo added that they recommended the removal of light construction materials from the market building.

“Some of the materials in the market are only coco lumber and plywood, which are prone to fire,” Salcedo said. He added that in his 12 years in BFP Polangui, this was the first time that the market caught fire. /lb