Metro Ayala fire expected to be completely put out today; haze alert lifted
The fire at Metro Ayala in Cebu City is expected to be completely put out by firefighters within the day.
Senior Supt. Samuel Tadeo, chief of the Bureau of Fire and Protection in Central Visayas (BFP-7), said they are dousing water on all levels of the department store that was gutted by fire since Friday evening.
“We make sure there’s no longer fire in every levels. We will do our best to completely put out the fire today,” he told Cebu Daily News.
The fire broke out at 9:44 p.m. from the stock room of the toy department located on the third floor.
It destroyed levels two to six while the department store’s ground floor and two basements were spared from the flames.
Tadeo said they have yet to determine the cause of the blaze.
“We already invited the persons who can shed light on our investigation. They are expexted to appear at our office tomorrow (Monday, January 8 ),” he said.
Estimated damage, Tadeo said, costs not less than P80 million.
“That is just a rough estimate. It can be more than that,” he said.
Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office ( CDRRMO) chief Nagiel Bañacia said they are also expecting the fire at Metro Ayala to be completely put out before sundown today.
“Firefighters now focus on parts of the 5th and 6th floors. Fire at the other parts of the building have already been extinguished,” he said.
Bañacia also lifted the haze alert in Cebu City as the fire and smoke at Metro Ayala die down.
“We’re just happy that we have not reveived any complaints about Saturday’s haze. Now, the thick smoke is gone,” he said.
A haze alert was issued on Saturday morning due to the smoke from the Metro Ayala fire.
The thick smoke had enveloped most of the Cebu Business Park which the store was located as well as the establishments in front.
Two jack hammers and a crane were used to drill into the department store’s walls and roofs to ventilate the building and relieve the smoke and heat.
At 8:45 a.m. on Saturday, the fire department had raised the fire alarm into task force bravo, which meant all fire stations from Danao City down to Naga City were asked to respond to the fire alarm.
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