CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — A fire in the commercial district of this city, Wednesday night, 16 July, destroyed the second floor of a gadget store building, estimated to cost some P22 million in structural damages, with yet unaccounted value of gadgets and several printing equipment, and a couple of parked vehicles, which suffered damages caused by falling debris.

The Bureau of Fire District Station, situated in the nearby Cogon Market, received the call at 7:08 p.m., and deployed, at least, eight fire trucks, to respond to the conflagration, which reached 3rd alarm level, before controlling it almost two hours after, at 8:55 p.m.

FSSupt. Rexcliburn Salvaña, district fire marshall, told the DAILY TRIBUNE, that ongoing investigation initially suspect the origin of the fire to be electrical due to the condition of the second floor of the buiding, which suffered most of the damages.

Salvaña said “there were no casualties reported, and the ground floor has been spared, but the incident highlights the dangers of fires in commercial areas and the importance of fire safety measures.”

The commercial building, Graphic all-in Store, situated at Capt. Vicente Roa Street, Barangay 24, is owned by Roger Chiu.

“This is the biggest fire for the year in the city, which recorded a total of 121, with July already having five,” Salvaña said.

Salvaña called for vigilance. “Even when it’s rainy season, we have to be alert and vigilant. Make it a habit to pull off charged equipment before sleeping and when leaving home and workplace,” he advised.