FIRE OUT. Fire engulfs the two-storey Gaisano Grand Mall of Antique in San Jose de Buenavista town on Thursday (June 17, 2021). The Bureau of Fire Protection declared fire out past noon on Saturday (June 19). (Contributed photo by Richard Burton)
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – The fire that gutted the two-storey Gaisano Grand Mall here on Thursday destroyed around PHP80 million worth of properties.
Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Antique Marshal Randy Pudadera said fire out was declared at 12:15 p.m. on Saturday.
"We have declared the fire out since there was no more ember and the heat had already cooled down inside the mall,” he said in an interview.
The BFP central office is expected to send inspectors from Manila to help in the investigation, Pudadera said.
Initial investigation showed 57 stalls inside the mall were destroyed. Tenants are not yet allowed to enter the building.
The provincial government sent help on Friday for 323 displaced mall employees and tenants, who each received PHP5,000 and half sacks of rice after an assessment by the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO).
PSWDO staff Noemi Tagle said they will give assistance to 180 more employees and tenants on June 23. (PNA)
