3 civilians hurt as Army camp munitions warehouse razed by fire
Three civilians were injured when a fire hit a warehouse containing various ammunition of the Philippine Army (PA) at the 4th Infantry Division (4ID) headquarters in Camp Evangelista, Patag, Cagayan de Oro City past Tuesday midnight, July 12.
Major Francisco Garello Jr., spokesperson of the 4ID, said the blaze broke out in one of the buildings inside the Ammunition Complex, 10th Forward Service Support Unit (FSSU), Army Support Command (ASCOM).

The said building houses 155mm Howitzer rounds and various small arms ammunition, and the fire caused “a series of loud explosions.”
“Immediately, 11 fire trucks from Cagayan de Oro City have responded but could not get near the burning structure due to dangerous explosions,” Garello said.
“There was no casualty from the military personnel but three civilians incurred minor wounds due to shrapnel and are now treated at Camp Evangelista Station Hospital,” he added. The identities of the wounded civilians were withheld as of this writing.
Meanwhile, all the other personnel near the incident site have been evacuated for safety including civilians who were temporarily sheltered at the 4ID Gymnasium, the designated evacuation center within the camp.
Garello said fire investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fire, which was declared out at 3:10 a.m.
“The incident area needs a cooling period before EOD personnel could move in to clear the area,” Garello said.
“When the residual fire would have been completely contained, Army investigating team including City fire authorities will come in to conduct thorough investigation to determine the cause of the incident,” he stated.
The 4ID have also administered psycho-social support and stress debriefing to the affected individuals in coordination with the officials of Brgy. Patag and CDO City Social Welfare and Development (CSWD) at the evacuation center.