By Ali G. Macabalang
Cotabato City – Fire of still unknown origin broke out inside the decades-old mega market edifice in this city Monday night, gutting down practically all flammable sections of the huge edifice.
More than 1,000 stalls were razed to the ground in the conflagration that started at about 10:30 p.m., mega market administrator Sam Mundas told reporters Tuesday morning.
Despite efforts by responding firemen to contain the conflagration, the fire quickly spread to all sections in the second floor of the two-story building where the blaze appeared to be raging as of 5 a.m. Tuesday.
Fire Officer 2 Aldrin Nara, spokesman of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in this city, said they were still determining the origin of the fire, which reportedly started at the meat section of the building’s ground floor.
City Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi said she would order a thorough investigation of the incident, revealing that her office had earlier received information about reports of attempts to burn down the market.