Six individuals were hurt, including five firefighters, while 215 families were displaced by a fire that hit a warehouse in Barangay Bagbaguin, Valenzuela City on Friday, Sept. 29.
According to the city government, the families composed of 800 individuals were in four temporary shelters including Paso De Blas Sentro ng Sama-samang Serbisyo (3S) Center Multi-purpose Hall, Pedro L. Santiago Elementary School, Canumay East 3S Covered Court, and A. Mariano Elementary School as of 8 a.m. on Friday.
Valenzuela City Mayor Weslie “Wes” Gatchalian ordered their preemptive evacuation to ensure their safety.
The blaze at the warehouse of Herco Trading, a hardware distribution company on G. Molina Street, Barangay Bagbaguin, started at around 12:31 p.m. on Thursday. It escalated to the 5th alarm at around 1:35 a.m.
It was raised to “Task Force Bravo” at around 3:40 p.m.
As of this writing, fire fighters have yet to contain the fire.
Authorities have yet to determine the amount of damage to property caused by the fire
The mayor went to the evacuation sites on Thursday to check the situation of the families. They were given hot meals and were being assisted by the City Social Welfare and Development Office.
On Friday, Gatchalian met with the BFP, city department heads, and Barangay Bagbaguin officials to discuss the welfare of the warehouse's displaced workers and the affected residents.
Cages, food, and water were also provided for the families' pets that were also evacuated.
The local government urged the evacuated residents not to return to their homes until it is safe to do so on the advice of authorities.