Palace: Probe Star City fire

STAR ATTRACTION GONE Smoke continues to rise from the Star City complex hours after a fire broke out in a stockroom shortly after Tuesday midnight. Officials say the amusement park may not reopen until October next year. —EDWIN BACASMAS

Malacañang has called for a thorough investigation into the fire that gutted the Star City amusement park and  affected the operations of radio station dzRH in Pasay City.

“We trust that authorities will work hard to determine the cause of the fire, and call on concerned government agencies to extend any form of assistance to those affected by the fire,” Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in a statement.

Fire razed the 35,000-square-meter Star City early Wednesday morning, destroying several indoor rides and its Snow World structure.

The fire also damaged the building that housed the Manila Broadcasting Corp. and disrupted the operations of dzRH which, however, used another studio operated by the station and was soon back on the air.

There were no casualties, but investigators were reportedly looking at the possibility of arson or electrical problems to trace the cause of the fire.

“It is a sad day for broadcasting as the recent fire in Star City had badly damaged the office of the Manila Broadcasting Co. and affected the operations of dzRH, the oldest radio station in the country,” Andanar said in his statement.

“We look forward to dzRH going back on air as soon as possible and to the recovery of everyone affected,” Andanar said.

Earlier, presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo expressed the Palace’s concern over the Star City fire and called on other government agencies to assist the affected employees and their families.