Firecracker testing destroys over 10 stalls in Barili, Cebu

More than 10 firecracker stalls were destroyed by fire in Barangay Minolos, Barili, Cebu at around 9:50 p.m. on Sunday, 28 December 2025, following the alleged testing of a firecracker inside the area.

Radio broadcaster Oscar Pasaporte, a resident of the barangay, told DAILY TRIBUNE that the fire started when a buyer attempted to test a five-star triangular firecracker near the stalls.

There are about 20 makeshift stalls in the area that were permitted by the Barili local government to sell firecrackers. According to reports, the firecracker being tested hit other firecrackers, causing them to explode and the fire to rapidly spread.

The area had been declared a designated firecracker zone, which has been operating 24 hours a day since the first week of December.

Reports further disclosed that two intoxicated men allegedly bought a triangular firecracker and tested it near the stalls. Vendors were reported to be sleeping inside the makeshift structures at the time of the incident.