Fire ‘under control’ at Manila Pavilion Hotel, death toll rises to 4

Thick smoke billows from the 50-year-old Manila Pavilion Hotel and Casino after it caught fire around 9:30 a.m. Sunday. Firefighters are still investigating the cause of the fire, which reached Task force Bravo. (INQUIRER/ MARIANNE BERMUDEZ)

 Firemen declared the blaze at the Manila Pavilion Hotel and Casino “under control” on Monday morning, as the death toll from the tragedy was raised to four individuals.

Radyo Inquirer 990 AM reported that the body of John Mark Sabido was already recovered on the fifth floor of the hotel at 12:40 a.m. Monday. But the report also said that Joe Cris Sabido remain missing as of this posting.

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), meanwhile, declared the fire that has been ravaging the hotel for almost 24 hours “under control” around 8:00 a.m. Monday.

The fire bureau said the hotel’s second floor was undergoing a renovation, and the fire might have originated from the building’s ground floor where the casino is located.

On Sunday, the Manila Disaster Risk and Reduction Management (MDRRMO) reported that three employees of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp were killed in the fire.

MDRRMO Director Johnny Yu identified the fatalities as Billy de Castro, Jun Evangelista, and Marilyn Umadto.

The fire at Manila Pavilion Hotel and Casino along UN Avenue in Ermita, Manila started around 9:30 a.m. Sunday, and reached Task Force Bravo some two hours later.                       /kga