4 hurt, P14 million property destroyed in Armscor fire

MANILA, Philippines — A fire at the compound of Armscor Global Defense Inc. in Marikina City on Thursday left four people injured and destroyed at least P14 million worth of property, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said yesterday.

The BFP’s National Capital Region field unit made the assessment based on the report from arson probers who went to the compound of the firearms manufacturing firm in Barangay Fortune.

Probers traced the source of the fire to the gunpowder room.

The fire started at 3:55 p.m. and reached second alarm. Twenty-four fire trucks and an ambulance responded to the scene.

Employees scampered for safety after several explosions occurred within the compound.

Marikina fire marshal Supt. Nestor Gorio said the fire was controlled at 4:45 p.m. and doused at 5:20 p.m.

A total of five structures within the compound were engulfed by the fire.

Four people who suffered injuries were treated by first aid responders.

In Las Piñas, four people died after a fire broke out in Barangay Talon Dos before dawn on Thursday.

The BFP, in a report obtained by The STAR, said the victims – two men and two women – were aged 73, 73, 35 and 45.

Sr. Insp. Maria Andrade said the blaze started at the victims’ house at 2:35 a.m. and reached first alarm before it was declared under control at 3:36 a.m.

“When we learned that there were people inside, we immediately conducted a search. The firefighters had trouble accessing the house because the doors were locked,” Andrade told The STAR.

In Quezon City, a fire hit the Le Ching Tea house in Barangay Siena at 7:18 a.m. yesterday, police said.

A security guard of the restaurant shouted for help after he saw smoke coming from the establishment.

At least three fire trucks responded to the scene and doused the blaze at 7:40 a.m., the BFP said.

No one died or was injured in the fire, according to police.

Arson probers have yet to determine the causes of all three fires.