Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte assured the public that the local government will conduct a thorough and transparent investigation on a t-shirt factory fire that left 15 people dead and one injured in Barangay Tandang Sora, Quezon City on Thursday, Aug. 31. 

According to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), the fire at Kennedy Street, Pleasant View Subdivision, Barangay Tandang Sora reached the first alarm at around 5:30 a.m. Firefighters were able to put out the blaze at around 8:04 a.m.

In a press conference, Belmonte said the burnt two-story residential building, which was mostly made of wood, has an unfinished three-story concrete structure being built behind it. It stands on 200 square meters of land inside the subdivision which is a “high-density residential zone.”

A t-shirt printing and manufacturing business reportedly operated in the area.

Authorities said that 15 out of the 18 persons staying in the house died during the fire, including the owners of the building, his wife, and a three-year-old girl.

The three survivors, one of them injured, allegedly jumped from the second floor of the building to save themselves from the blaze.

Chief Supt. Nahum B. Tarozza, BFP regional director, earlier said that the victims may have attempted to escape but failed. Their bodies were found outside their rooms located at the back portion of the building.

Citing statements of witnesses, Tarozza said the fire started at the old office of the factory, which was located in the front part of the first floor of the building.

He said the building had only one entrance and exit door and had no fire safety permit. 

Investigators are still determining the cause of the fire. 

Chief Insp. Aristotle Banag, Quezon City Fire District head, said the estimated cost of damage to property was placed at around P3,000,000.

The local government, during its initial investigation, discovered that the factory was managed by a corporation composed of five members, including the deceased owner of the house.

According to the mayor, the City Department of Building Official (DBO) found out that the house, which was used as a manufacturing center for t-shirts, has no building permit under the name of the owner or its address.

She also revealed that the owners had several misdeclarations when they applied for a business permit at the City Business Permit and Licensing Department, including their business activity, area, and number of employees.

Belmonte said the corporation filed for a business permit declaring that it as a trader of garments and and bags, the reason why it was allowed to operate in the subdivision.

However, the business include not just trading but also manufacturing and printing of t-shirts.

The mayor said that in 2023, they notified the owner to relocate from the subdivision as “trading/contractor” business activities are prohibited in high-density residential zones.

The owners also declared that the business will operate only in 15 square meters of land in the area, but the whole house (200 square meters) was utilized for manufacturing and printing activities, she added.

Only three employees were declared for the business, but around 18 persons were in the structure when the fire incident happened.

Citing the BFP, Belmonte also said that the business has a fire clearance which expired in 2022 and was not renewed. They are checking if misdeclaration regarding taxes was also made.

Belmonte said that the four remaining members of the corporation are liable for the incident and may face charges such as reckless imprudence and violation of labor laws.

She instructed the City Legal Department head, lawyer Orlando Casimiro, to conduct an impartial and fair investigation to determine if the local agencies have lapses in regulating the business as well as other aspects that might have led to the incident.

Casimiro said they have started collecting reports to start the probe and assured the public of an impartial and fair investigation of the incident.

Belmonte also assured that the city government will extend help to the families of the victims including legal aid, scholarships for their children, livelihood and job opportiunities.

”Of course, we will continue with the investigation para (so that) we can pull together, come together, or create a more hollistic view of what really happened and the cause of what happened. Sino ba yung mananagot? Kung meron ba tayong mga pagpapabaya, mga pagkukulang (Who is responsible? Are there any  lapses we committed on the incident). Of course all of this things will be part of the investigation that we will conduct,” she said.

”Kasama dito 'yung aming commitment towards transparency na ipapaalam po namin sa taumbayan kung ano po 'yung aming ginawa at ano po ang aming mga findings (This includes our commitment towards transparency, letting the people know what we did and what are our findings),” she added.