A fire believed triggered by faulty electrical wiring razed a warehouse at the Bureau of Customs in Port Area, Manila and destroyed an undetermined amount of abandoned and condemned cargoes stored inside the warehouse, a Customs official said.
The blaze broke out in warehouse 159 where seized and abandoned articles for condemnation are stored. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Fire officials said the lack of fire hydrants within the area made it difficult for firefighters to control the situation as the fire reached the fifth alarm.
“Unfortunately, we reached fifth alarm because of lack of fire hydrant near the area. They need to go inside the BoC compound to get water,” BoC-Enforcement and Security Service director Isabelo Tibayan III said.
Among the articles damaged were non-serviceable vehicles, tires, counterfeit products such as slippers, bags, “ukay-ukay” clothes, and fabrics.
Tibayan said the highly combustible materials stored inside the warehouse caused the fire to spread widely, thereby damaging the entire warehouse. Chemicals which were also housed inside caused the burst of explosions.