BY: VANESSA BUGTONG
Thick black smoke surprised vendors and residents near the Baguio City Public Market where at around 9:30 in the evening last December 29, a fire broke out.
According to Mayor Benjamin Magalong, “Several businesses were affected again. Thankfully, no one was harmed. The elderly person sleeping there was promptly rescued by our POSD team.”
Though the fire was quickly contained, four stalls selling various items were burned.
An initial investigation by the Bureau of Fire Protection revealed that an overloaded electrical connection was the likely cause of the fire.
The fire was declared out by 9:43 in the evening, just 11 minutes after it started.
Mayor Magalong emphasis, “The BFP’s investigation shows that the wires were overloaded. Upon inspection, we saw multiple extensions connected to one another, forming what we call an octopus connection.”
In response, the BFP and city government vowed to intensify inspections across all sections of the market.
They also promised to cut off illegal wiring connections inside the market whenever possible.
“They found a refrigerator connected to an extension cord, which was then connected to another extension cord. Looking at the type of wire, it was clear it couldn’t handle the refrigerator’s load,” Mayor Magalong narrated.
No injuries or casualties were reported from the fire.
The BFP continues its investigation to determine the exact cause and estimate the total damage caused by the fire.
