Fire hits coffin warehouse

A warehouse owned by the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes in barangay Lahug, Cebu City was destroyed by fire yesterday.

Structural  damage was pegged at P300,000. The amount does not  include damage to coffins and raw materials stored inside the warehouse,  said SPO4 Jovito Abelgas. He said  investigators are still looking into the cause of the fire.

“We will invite the workers to help in the investigation,” Abelgas said.

The fire started at 10:41 a.m. in a portion of  RSD Resources International, a member of the  Dychangco Group of Companies which owns Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes.

The fire was contained in 10 minutes.

Combustible chemicals such as paints were stored in the warehouse which caused the fire to spread, said Abelgas. No one was hurt in the incident.

Earlier before 7 a.m., a fire alarm was sounded for the Cebu City Hall legislative building .

An overheated  air-conditioner in the  office of former councilor Jose Daluz III may have caused the fire.

Thick smoke was seen coming out of the office at 6:58 a.m. The building’s water sprinkler system prevented  the flames from spreading.

Jojo Echavez, a staff member, said he had just arrived at  City Hall when he saw firefighters rushing into their office.

Echavez helped open the office since he keeps the key.

Daluz, executive assistant of Mayor Michael Rama,  said he was told by his staff that they switched off  computers in the office before they left late Thursday afternoon.   But because of brownouts in  City Hall that day, the staff were not sure if the air-conditioner  was  shut down.