Blaze kills 15 in Philippine factory after firefighters get wrong address

31 August 2023 , 18:20

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Firemen check a factory that caught fire in Quezon city, Philippines (Image: AP)

Fifteen people have died in a Philippine clothes factory after firefighters failed to reach a blaze on time after delays by flooded roads, traffic and a wrong address.

The factory is in a small residential area and most of the victims appeared to be factory workers and carpenters who were sleeping in rooms when the fire broke out this morning. Some were found dead on an aisle outside the rooms and the factory owner and his child were among the dead, Nahum Tarroza of the Bureau of Fire Protection said.

Marcelo Ragundiaz, fire brigade chief for Barangay Tandang Sora district, said the property was being used as a T-shirt printing warehouse. He said the blaze likely started in the middle of the building, which prevented most of those inside from escaping. Three people miraculously survived with minor injuries by jumping off the second floor of the two-story factory in panic, according to Tarroza. The three were taken to a hospital.

A man waits for news outside a factory that caught fire in Quezon city (AP)

The firefighters' arrival was delayed by about 14 minutes after a monsoon-season downpour caused flooding and traffic jams. They were also given the wrong address and Tarroza said he would order an investigation into the firefighters' delayed response. The fire in the residential enclave in Tandang Sora village in suburban Quezon City was eventually extinguished after two hours.

The factory stored combustible materials and textiles used in making apparel and also printed designs on shirts used for business promotions, village officials said. An investigation was looking into the cause and if safety regulations were breached by the factory owner, officials said.

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It comes just days after at least 10 residents and respondents were hurt after a fire erupted in a residential area in Barangay Culiat, Quezon City. All those affected had suffered minor burns and abrasions, while some experienced difficulty breathing. According to the Bureau of Fire Protection, the blaze started at around 9 p.m. and reached the fifth alarm after almost three hours. Authorities did not report any deaths.

Construction of buildings and residential enclaves that don't conform to safety standards have caused deadly fires in the country in the past. A 1996 nightclub fire killed 162 people, mostly students celebrating the end of the school year, in the same city. About 400 people were packed in the Ozone disco when the fire started, but many were unable to escape because the emergency exit was blocked by a new building next door. Ninety-three others were injured in the blaze, which made it one of the biggest nightclub fires in the world in recent decades.

Rachel Hagan