FIRE MARSHAL: ‘PUBLIC MARKET FIRE NOT CAUSED BY FAULTY WIRING, FLAMMABLE SUBSTANCE’

June 3, 2023 Metro BLISTT

BAGUIO CITY

Based on the results of the testing done on ashes and electrical debris, the fire that razed the Baguio City Public Market in the wee hours of March 12, 2023 was neither caused by faulty electrical
wiring nor any flammable substance. This was revealed by City Fire Superintendent Marisol Odiver to the city officials during the Baguio City Council’s regular session Last May 22. The testing done by the arson laboratory of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) revealed that the ashes and electrical
debris collected from the aftermath of the fire did not show any sign of a short circuit nor the presence of a flammable substance.

Odiver further disclosed that the investigation had been turned over to the National Headquarter Investigation and Intelligence Division and is still ongoing. According to Odiver, the estimated cost of the incurred damages caused by the fire is P84 million. Based on the BFP Operation Manual, if the incurred damages totaled to more than P30 million, the national headquarters will take over in the investigation. The BFP national headquarters, according to Odiver, had requested the Baguio Fire department to submit supplemental documents such as CCTV footage and statements of witnesses.

The actual cause of the fire will be revealed by the final results of the investigation, Odiver said. Members of the city council stressed the urgency to expedite the investigation as the public is eager to know the real cause of the fire. Odiver said the Baguio Fire Department had already sent a request to the BFP national headquarters to hasten its investigation.

SP/Jordan G. Habbiling