Cable thieves seen as cause of fire

A fire broke out on the roof deck of an abandoned 20-story hotel in Manila before dawn Saturday.

Authorities believe it was caused by burglars who were after electrical cables from the condemned building.

Manila fire department chief Insp. Bonifacio Carta said a three-hour fire broke out on the roof deck of what used to be Grand Boulevard Hotel (formerly Silahis Hotel) on Roxas Boulevard at around 3:34 a.m.

Arson investigators suspected that thieves broke into the building and tried to extract copper wires by using a flame to melt the rubber coating.

A kilo of copper wire sold to junk shops fetches around P300. The building has been under the control of the city government since 2008 following the hotel’s failure to pay taxes. Nancy C. Carvajal