Fire gutted a police station and five other government offices in Danao City in northern Cebu.
The fire broke out shortly after 9 p.m. on Saturday and lasted almost an hour, burning mostly old, wooden structures, said Yamie Vestal, executive assistant of Vice Mayor Red Durano.
The general alarm was raised which called on fire trucks from neighboring towns of Carmen, Compostella and Liloan to respond.
When the fire broke out, detainees at the police station were immediately moved out and transferred to the city jail.
Also destroyed were offices of the city’s Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS), environment and natural resources, post office, and agriculture and those of the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
Vestal said street children housed at the DSWS office were also relocated.
The burned structures were located at the city center and in front of the city fishport and board walk.
Fire investigators had yet to determine what caused the blaze that hit Danao located about 25 kilometers north of Cebu City.
Before the blaze, explosions believed to have come from electrical connections were heard.