DAVAO CITY - A fire that reached the 4th alarm razed down one of the oldest schools in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte on Tuesday night.
F03 Jezil R. Asis of the Butuan City Central Fire Station that it took 17 firetrucks from several volunteers including Cabadbaran City Fire, Remedios Trinidad Romualdez Fire Station, Filipino-Chinese Fire Brigade and the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) to put out the fire that destroyed the Timber City Academy's (TCA) elementary building.
The TCA, formerly known as the Butuan Chinese School, is a private Filipino-Chinese school established in 1947.
"The fire started at 9:10 pm. nag fire out po tayo ng 11:34 pm (It was declared "fire out" at 11:34 pm)," Asis told The Manila Bulletin on Wednesday, July 28.
Asis said the elementary building where the fire originated was made of light materials. She added that apart from the school building, a room at the adjacent Prince Hotel was also damaged.
"Fortunately po, zero casualty po tayo (Fortunately, we have zero casualty)," she said.
The amount of the damage is estimated to reach P8 million. Asis said they have yet to determine the cause of the fire as the investigation is still ongoing.
In a statement, the school said the fire incident is "devastating for the students, teachers, alumni, and everyone who shared precious memories with the school."
"But just like a church, we are more than just the building. What makes us all TCAeans is our commitment to excellence and passion for our community even without our physical structure," it added.
"Like a fiery phoenix, the burnt ashes will compel us to (rise) and be stronger than ever," the school added.