A fire that broke out inside a high-rise building in Binondo, Manila on Monday noon, Dec. 4 and raged on until Tuesday morning, Dec. 5, lasted for "more than 15 hours."
According to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), the fire allegedly started on the 28th floor of Sun Tower, which is a 32-storey commercial building located at Dasmariñas Street.
The fire reached the first alarm at 12:36 p.m. and the second alarm at 12:41 p.m.
It escalated to the third alarm at 1:22 p.m.
Firefighters said they had difficulty reaching the burning room because of its height.
They noted that they needed to climb the narrow stairs in batches to reach the 28th floor as the elevators were strictly prohibited during a fire situation.
The fire immediately spread to the entire room due to the plastic products stored inside.
Large plumes of smoke and flames were seen coming out of the room's windows, which continued into the evening.
Fire responders and volunteers wore self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) to avoid suffocating from the thick smoke and dust.
BFP responders said the room was full of plastic products normally sold in Divisoria market.
They said these products were "highly combustible" which made it difficult for them to control the fire.
It took them more than 13 hours before the fire was put under control at 2:12 a.m. and was finally extinguished at 4:10 a.m.
The BFP is still investigating the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage to property.