ORANGE SKY. Cagayan de Oro City residents near Barangay Patag capture photos and videos of a fire that caused loud explosions just after midnight Tuesday (July 12, 2022). The fire gutted the ammunition dump facility of the Army's 4th Infantry Division. (Photo courtesy of Joy Argayoso Malinao)
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—The fire that gutted the ammunition facility inside the Army's 4th Infantry Division (4ID) headquarters here has caused at least PHP27 million in damage, while forcing some 40 families to evacuate.
Major Francisco Garello Jr., 4ID Public Affairs Office chief, said three separate investigations are being conducted into Tuesday midnight's conflagration, led by the police, Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), and an internal probe ordered by 4ID.
Based on initial investigation, Garello ruled out faulty electrical lines.
“It is hardly caused by faulty electrical wire since the facility doesn't have electrical connections, especially in the ammo dump where wires are buried underground. That facility is heavily-guarded, and those who enter follow strict protocols,” Garello said.
Meanwhile, the 4ID said it has administered psycho-social support and stress debriefing to 40 families or 245 individuals residing near the headquarters who were evacuated earlier.
Garello said the affected residents housed in two evacuation centers are receiving emergency aid from the City Social Welfare and Development.
Meanwhile, Garello said the three injured civilians, among them a 15-year-old boy, have been declared safe. They were hit by debris from the explosions caused by various ammunition stored in the facility.
Garello said the ammo complex housed mainly small arms matériel and projectiles for 155mm Howitzer, causing loud explosions and considerable damage to the facility.
Steven Gonzaga, one of the residents whose family lived just beside the gates of 4ID, said they felt the earth shaking tremors during the series of explosions.
“Our walls and roofs were shaking, and as well our neighbors' houses,” Gonzaga said in vernacular.
The explosions, he said, were so powerful that it turned the sky orange and caused a 15-minute power interruption.
The explosions lasted for about 40 minutes, he said, causing some residents to panic and flee the area.
Garello said they still have to conduct inventory once the compound is clear of danger.
A team from the Explosive and Ordnance Division is set to inspect the area prior to declaring it free from the potential risk of unexploded ammunition, he said.
Garello also clarified that the affected facility was the Ammunition Complex of the 10th Forward Service Support Unit of the Army Support Command, and that the camp's main armory was spared from the fire. (PNA)
