The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tank that exploded caused the fire that trapped and killed 11 people inside a residential-commercial building in Binondo, Manila, on Friday, August 2.
The BFP said that the fire started at an eatery on the ground floor of the 4-story building with mezzanine at the corner of Nueva (former Yunchengco Street) and Carvajal Streets.
The victims, who were boarders in the building, were reportedly trapped inside while they were sleeping.
Six of the victims were found on the mezzanine floor, while the other five were on the second floor, lying on their beds.
“Nasa kwarto lang po sila. Nasa kanilang beds lang po sila. Ibig sabihin po nun hindi po nila nakita yung [apoy], lumaki na po yung apoy, na-suffocate na sila. Wala po tayong nakita sa CR… kundi nandoon lang po sila sa higaan nila… kaya posible po (natutulog) dahil sa umaga po nagsimula yung sunog, so tulog pa po sila siguro (They were just in their room. They were just on their beds. This means that they probably didn't see the fire until it had already grown, and they were suffocated. We didn't find anyone in the bathroom… they were just on their bed… so it's possible that they were sleeping because the fire started in the morning, so they were probably still asleep),” Personnel of BFP said in a media interview.
In a radio interview, Manila Fire District Chief of Operations Michael Ignacio said that the windows in the building had grills, leaving the victims without any option to escape. He added that they did not see a secondary exit in the building.
"As of now, under investigation pa po 'yung cause po ng sunog pero may tinitignan po tayong anggulo, na itong (sunog) nagsimula dito po sa may karinderya sa ground floor. Initially sabi po ng taga-barangay rito eh may sumabog daw pong LPG (As of now, the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but we are looking into one angle, that this fire started in an eatery on the ground floor. Initially, according to barangay officials, an LPG tank exploded there)," Ignacio said.
The BFP said that they are still investigating if the building is registered and has a permit to operate as a residential building.
As of Friday afternoon, personnel from BFP and the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) had retrieved the bodies of the victims.
The BFP said the fire was raised to the first alarm at 7:28 a.m. and to the second alarm at 8:14 a.m.
Firefighters extinguished the fire at around 10:03 a.m.
Authorities said that the estimated damage to property was P100,000.
Meanwhile, Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan has ordered building and fire officials to conduct a thorough inspection of all structures in the city, especially buildings that are at least 15 years old, which will be prioritized in the inspection to determine their compliance with the National Building Code and the Revised Fire Code of the Philippines.
The order aims to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future and to safeguard the well-being of the residents.