It is so sad to learn that 24 persons have been declared dead due to a fire inside the Unitop store in Ormoc City on Christmas Day. It was just a few years ago when the city saw a tragedy that many residents still remember until now - the Ormoc City flood that killed hundreds of people.
My story for Manila Bulletin below:
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Store blaze kills 24 on Christmas day
By MARS W. MOSQUEDA JR.
ORMOC CITY, Leyte – At least 24 persons have been confirmed dead as of press time yesterday while several others were still missing following a fire that broke out inside a department store in Real Street, this city on Christmas Day.
Ormoc City Mayor Eric Codilla said 23 bodies, charred beyond recognition, were pulled out from the Unitop General Merchandise store as of press time yesterday, while a female survivor died at the hospital due to carbon monoxide inhalation. The victims included a baby, two children, and a pregnant woman.
Codilla said the number of fatalities could increase as soon as rescue workers will be done with the mopping up operations to pull out all of the remains of the victims. Most of the charred bodies were discovered at the toilet of the store as fire investigators discovered that the exit door of the store was padlocked.
A funeral worker said one body was found hugging a smaller charred body while most of the pulled out bodies were found piling up on each other.
Initial investigations revealed that the fire started at 4:40 p.m. last Monday when a boy allegedly lit a firecracker that ignited the other firecrackers sold at the department store’s entrance. The fire spread quickly, trapping shoppers inside.
“It was very quick. I heard a series of explosions and then I saw fire inside the store,” said Armando Adaya, an ambulant vendor who happened to pass by the one-story store during the incident.
The fire went on until it was placed under control at 7:30 p.m. said Ormoc City Fire Chief Mauro Costa, adding that those killed included customers, vendors, and store employees. People who were near the entrance managed to escape but others were forced to go deeper into a restroom, where 23 charred remains were found.
The 24th fatality died of injuries overnight and 15 were treated in two Ormoc hospitals. Two of them are in critical condition, Costa revealed.
Codilla, meanwhile, said he has already ordered a thorough investigation to determine the real cause of the blaze even as he believed that the firecracker blast could have something to do with the fire. He also stressed that the store was not permitted to sell firecrackers.
The mayor also said that the city government of Ormoc will be providing financial assistance to the families of the victims.
The store’s management has not issued any statement regarding the incident as of press time yesterday but one of the owners of Unitop in Cebu, who requested anonymity, said their stores have passed fire-safety standards.
The owner, who claimed to be a business partner of the owner of Unitop in Ormoc City, admitted that they sold firecrackers at the entrance of their stores but only those firecrackers that are approved by authorities. #
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