Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 12) – A fire razed parts of the Baguio City Public Market Saturday night and left around ₱24 million in damage, authorities said.
The market caught fire around 11:00 pm Saturday, and it was put out at 4:38 am Sunday, the Baguio City Public Information Office (PIO) said.
Baguio City Fire Marshal Supt. Marisol Odiver said the blaze originated in Block 4 of the market. It burnt all of Block 4, most of Block 3, and the Caldero section.
Authorities are still determining the cause of the fire, she added.
Odiver estimated that the fire caused more or less ₱24 million in damage. No casualties or injuries were reported.
Mayor Benjamin Magalong said around 1,700 out of the nearly 4,000 stalls were damaged.
The market is open except for the burned areas, City Market Superintendent Ceasar Emilio said.
The local government will fast track the relocation of affected venders to help them resume operations as soon as possible, the PIO said.
Meanwhile, urban poor group Kadamay called for an “immediate and thorough” investigation on the cause of the fire, as it raised concerns on the incident’s effect on the anti-privatization sentiments at the public market.
On the same day, another fire engulfed the forested area close to Camp 7 in Baguio City. A resident reported that the forest fire started at 3:00 pm, the city government said. The Kabayan Fire Station in Benguet declared fire out at 11:20 am Sunday, March 12.
Kagabi, nagkaroon ng sunog sa ilang bahagi ng Baguio City Public Market na tumupok sa mahigit 1,700 na stalls at nanira ng humigit-kumulang 24M pisong halaga ng ari-arian at produkto.
Pinangangambahan ng Kadamay ang epekto ng sunog sa laban kontra-pribatisasyon ng BCPM. pic.twitter.com/PNDq8exXkD
— KADAMAY (@KadamayNtnl) March 12, 2023
“Nakababahala na tuwing may plano ang gobyerno para isapribado ang isang lugar at may pagtutol dito ang mga mamamayan, nasusundan ang mga ito ng sunog. Marapat lamang ang agaran at masinsing imbestigasyon sa totoong dahilan ng sunog sa Baguio City Public Market,” Kadamay said.
[Translation: It’s worrisome that whenever the government has a plan to privatize a place and citizens oppose it, it’s followed by fire incidents. An immediate and thorough investigation should be conducted on the true cause of the fire at the Baguio City Public Market.]
Bushfires
The Baguio City Public Information Office also posted pictures of reported bushfires at Camp 6.
