This is what is left of the San Fernando Public Market which was destroyed by an early morning fire on Thursday, July 11, 2024. | Paul Lauro
CEBU CITY, Philippines – A fire that hit a public market in Barangay South Poblacion, San Fernando, Cebu on early Thursday morning, July 11, destroyed properties worth around P11 million.
The San Fernando fire which lasted for over two hours, affected a total of 80 stalls with assorted goods on display.
The public market in Brgy. South Poblacion was bustling with people as usual on Thursday when a fire broke out at around 3:00 a.m.
Fortunately, the fire station was located right behind the market and a concerned individual ran to get help.
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Firefighters responded to the incident and immediately raised the fire to the third alarm at 3:15 a.m.
Senior Fire Officer 1 (SFO1) Stephen Villanueva, chief fire investigator of San Fernando Fire Station, said that they did so because the blaze was already fully developed.
It took them over two hours to declare the fire under control at 5:00 a.m.
Less than 20 minutes later or at 5:19 a.m., fire officials declared a fire out.
According to Villanueva, a total of 80 stalls were affected in the San Fernando fire.
While the blaze started in the vegetable section, it also reached nearby areas and burned other products like fruits, plastic ware, and fabric.
In addition, it affected a small food stall inside the public market.
Villanueva said that there were no casualties or injured persons reported in the San Fernando fire.
He also disclosed that the are yet to determine the exact origin of the fire because it has already spread out by the time they arrived in the area.
An alleged eye witness made allegations that a certain Andoy, who is believed to be suffering from a mental illness, caused the fire in the market.
The witness allegedly saw Andoy running out of the vegetable section with a lighter moments before the fire broke out.
However, fire officials are still verifying this report in their investigation.
Villanueva said that they are looking at all possible angles on what started the San Fernando fire.
He also stated that they will be coordinating with the police in order to find out whether Andoy is guilty of burning the market on purpose.
Following this incident, Villanueva reminded the public to be careful around flammable materials and to always have the necessary fire safety equipment on standby in case of emergencies.