Fire hits the building that houses the Minglanilla Trial Court on Tuesday, December 12, 2023 | Photo from Minglanilla Mayor Rajiv Enad
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Investigations are currently ongoing to determine if the fire that burned down a trial court and several government offices in Minglanilla town in southern Cebu on Tuesday, December 12, was intentional or not.
Minglanilla Mayor Rajiv Enad on Tuesday instructed fire officials, as well as local police, to probe the blaze that hit a two-storey building owned by the municipal government around 12 p.m. on Tuesday.
Enad, in a statement, said they received initial information that the fire might have been “premeditated and deliberately set off inside the Municipal Trial Court.”
“Today is a tragic day for Minglanilla… Police are conducting a thorough investigation. Details will be disclosed after,” he wrote.
Enad also confirmed that 11 individuals, including court personnel, sustained wounds due to the fire. They are now confined in a hospital for treatment, he added.
According to the mayor, a traffic personnel saw black, smoke rising from the second floor of the Minglanilla Trial Court building a few minutes past noon on Tuesday.
When the personnel rushed to check inside, the main doors of the first and second floors of the building were also locked, Enad said.
“He rushed to help but had to break open the main door at the first floor of the building as this was locked,” the mayor said.
“When he reached the second floor, the MTCC door was also locked. When he kicked it open, an injured court personnel fell in front of him,” he added.
In the meantime, the local government promised that delivery of basic services would not be disrupted due to the fire.
“Please bear with us as we make adjustments to our daily services considering we lost some of our offices,” Enad said.
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