A fire erupted in one of the buildings of the Philippine Army’s 6th Infantry Division (6ID) at Camp Siongco in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao on Thursday afternoon, July 28.
Lt. Col. Dennis Almorato, 6ID spokesperson, said the fire started at the ceiling of the personnel barracks of the 6th Post Engineer Detachment (6PED).
Accordingly, a power interruption hit the camp and the fire suddenly broke out when the electricity was restored.
The blaze quickly spread in other areas of the PED building, Almorato said.
Firefighters from the city’s Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and military responded to the incident to contain the conflagration.
The fire was immediately controlled at around 5 p.m., and declared out after 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, an inventory of items destroyed by the fire was ongoing which includes office equipment and personal belongings of the troops.
Maj. Gen. Roberto Capulong, commander of the 6ID, said the command will coordinate with the municipal fire station in Datu Odin Sinsuat for the conduct of an investigation to determine the cause of fire.
“Although we are saddened by the fire that razed an office inside our camp, we are still thankful to God that no personnel was injured because of the quick response of the firefighters,” he said.
Last July 12, an ammunition warehouse inside the headquarters of the 4th Infantry Division (4ID) at Camp Evangelista in Cagayan de Oro City was also damaged by fire, injuring three civilians.