ORMOC CITY—Fire broke out inside the plant premises of the Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining Corp. (Pasar) in Isabel town, some 47 kms from Ormoc at about 6:05 a.m., Monday, Jan. 2. While there were no casualties, the fire was considered a major conflagration considering it took three hours to extinguish.
A source who requested anonymity said the fire broke out at a “very restricted” area of the plant where even policemen were not allowed entry. Cause of the fire remains unknown as Isabel Fire Marshall Insp. Hermes Cadion still could not entertain reporters as of press time.
Police Chief Insp. Joel Camacho ruled out a terrorist act behind the blaze, saying there were no “signatures” left behind to make him believe so, unlike in Surigao where communist rebels left their marks in the burning of mining equipment and even claimed responsibility.
Firefighters from the company itself and from neighboring plant Philippine Phosphate Fertilizer Co. as well as from the towns of Isabel, Merida and Kananga, and Ormoc City battled the blaze for about three hours until a “fire out” was declared at about 10 a.m.
More than half-a-million pesos worth of merchandise including firecrackers went up in smoke when fire gutted almost 30 makeshift stalls across the public market building in neighboring Kananga town last Dec. 31. No one was seriously injured but there were reports of people bumping into each other and an old woman fainting during the stampede.
The temporary stalls were put up to accommodate transient vendors selling firecrackers and delicacies like breads, cakes and native delicacies during the holiday season. The fire began at about 2 p.m. and was allegedly caused by a woman who was seen lighting a whistle bomb.
The flames spread and lit up the other firecrackers on display, causing a series of explosions. People scampered from the site and ran up to the highway four blocks or 50 meters away, said Erica Galado, a coed of STI College-Ormoc. Some of the resident were chased by baby rockets shooting in all directions.
Dominador Bantasan Jr. of Barangay Mahawan said smoke covered the market building.
“It was like a war zone because of the successive bursts of explosion,” he said in the vernacular.
A woman suffered scrapes when she fell to the ground while running. Some pedicabs parked near the burning stalls were damaged.
Even occupants of the permanent stalls across joined the stampede.
“Luckily, their abandoned merchandise was not stolen,” government employee Ritcho Limgas remarked.
Wenefreda Gonzalo of Barangay Lonoy said her neighbor teacher lost her wallet containing her Professional Regulatory Commission license.
Passengers on a jeepney that arrived from Ormoc were afraid to get off the vehicle for fear of the exploding firecrackers.
“The passengers confined themselves inside the packed vehicle,” Gonzalo said. “Luckily, no baby rocket found its way to their direction; otherwise, they would have been trapped.”
Fortunately, the site was just a few meters away from the fire station and the blaze was controlled in less than an hour. The market building wasn’t damaged. FInsp. Irwin Limbauan suspended the selling of pyrotechnics the rest of the day to ensure public safety.
Mayor Elmer C. Codilla who quickly arrived at the scene said that next year he will move the designated place for selling firecrackers near the slaughterhouse, some 400 meters from the public market. That area will be more suited for selling, being far from houses unlike the present area which is a commercial center.
