Welding sparks fire at Mandaue City Hall during Christmas decor work

A portion of the Mandaue City Hall that caught fire on Wednesday afternoon. | Screenshot from RD Soon Gobalani video

MANDAUE CITY, Philippines – A fire broke out on the side wall of the right wing of the Mandaue City Hall on Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 20.

The fire was caused by a spark from welding work being done above, which ignited the paint used for beautifying the city’s Christmas decorations.

The workers were welding the frame for a giant ribbon when the incident occurred. Junard Tarona, one of the welders, said they initially noticed no paint at the bottom when they started welding. They were surprised when they heard other workers shouting that a fire had started.

Tarona later learned that the painters had set aside cans of paint in the area after finishing their work for the day. The used paints caught a spark from the welding, causing the fire.

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The fire broke out at around 4 p.m. and was quickly extinguished by the Mandaue City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.

No injuries were reported, and only a pipe at the bottom of the area sustained minor damage.

Engr. Marivic Cabigas, head of the City Engineering Office, said that personnel had been warned and reminded to always follow safety instructions to prevent such incidents.

“We called our personnel earlier to remind them to take instructions to heart and not disregard them. This is a lesson learned for them. They are reminded of safety protocols daily,” Cabigas said in Cebuano.

Cabigas added that the personnel are scheduled to attend a refresher seminar on fire safety.

The city began work on its Christmas Village-inspired theme last July, and it is now around 90% complete. The 17-foot Christmas tree and other decorations are set to be lit on Dec. 2. /clorenciana