Star City in Pasay City went into flames just shortly after midnight yesterday, destroying the entire amusement park and the offices and studios of Manila Broadcasting Co. Al Padilla

It will be a bleak holiday season for children and the young-at-heart as Star City, the popular amusement park in Pasay City, will cease operations for the rest of the year after it was gutted by fire shortly after midnight last Wednesday, 2 October.

Aside from the theme park, the blaze, which started at around 12:22 a.m., also totally engulfed the offices and studios of Manila Broadcasting Company, a sister company of Star City.

The fire was declared under control at 4:32 a.m. by the Pasay City fire department.

No casualties were reported in the incident that reached Task Force Alpha status at 2:32 a.m.

Meanwhile, Malacañang yesterday extended its sympathies and has called for concerned government agencies to extend assistance to those who may have been affected by the fire.

“The Palace expresses its grief following the unfortunate news about the early Wednesday morning fire that hit the Star City compound, which damaged not only the amusement park but also the Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC), where DZRH and other FM stations are housed,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a statement.

“As we near Christmas, this is truly sad news knowing that Star City is a place where Filipino families visit to celebrate the Yuletide season. To our friends in the media who are affected, we wish to let them know that we are one with them in this tragic incident. We call on government instrumentalities to extend any form of assistance to those hit by the blaze,” he added.

Star City spokesman Rudolph Jularbal said the amusement park might reopen only in October 2020.

“Star City, which was hardest hit by the fire, will be closed through the Christmas season,” Jularbal said.

However, broadcasting operations for radio stations located within the complex, such as DZRH, Love Radio, Yes The Best and Easy Rock, will continue, he added.

Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar, meanwhile, called the incident a “sad day” for broadcasting.

“We at the PCOO are equally saddened by how this will affect the employees of the MBC and the theme park. We trust that the authorities will work hard to determine the cause of the fire and call on concerned government agencies to extend any form of assistance to those affected by the fire,” Andanar said in a statement.

“We look forward to DZRH going back on-air as soon as possible and to the recovery of everyone affected,” he added.

Company officials are closely coordinating with authorities to determine the cause of the fire.

Investigators are looking into arson as a possible cause as they said the blaze quickly spread throughout the amusement park.

The Pasay City Fire Marshal assessed that 80 to 90 percent of the Star City compound have been burned down.

According to Pasay City Fire Marshal Paul Pili, different areas of Star City seemed to have caught on fire at the same time.

The amusement park was already closed for the day when the fire broke out in a stockroom filled with stuffed toys and other prizes.

Fire officers said the blaze quickly spread to other parts of the building and huge plumes billowed into the sky as fire fighters immediately responded to control it.

After two hours, the blaze was raised to Task Force Bravo, meaning 19 fire trucks had been deployed to the area.

Investigation showed the roof of the Snow World attraction collapsed, while Star Theater was also destroyed.

A DZRH reporter said that while they were airing mostly music programs, they were immediately able to go back on air because they have a backup station away from the complex.

This early, Jularbal said management is considering providing financial support to their affected employees.