Mall fire forces LRT-1 to bypass Monumento Station

With the fire at a mall in Caloocan City still raging more than 12 hours after it started, the Light Rail Transit Authority has decided to have its Line 1 bypass its Monumento Station. LRTA spokesman Hernando Cabrera said that while the LRT-1's operations will go on, the trains will no longer stop at Monumento, which he said is affected by the smoke. "Due to the smoke at Monumento station, LRT-1 trains from Baclaran will not stop at the Monumento station. Instead, they will go straight to Balintawak and Roosevelt," he said in a post on his Twitter account. The LRT-1 links Roosevelt in Quezon City and Baclaran in southern Metro Manila. Cabrera said the smoke from the mall fire at Grand Central has made it impossible for passengers to board trains at the nearby Monumento Station. Firefighters had been battling the fire at the Grand Central area since 10:40 p.m. Friday. Volunteer firefighter group TXTFire said the blaze was still at Task Force Delta as of 10:30 a.m. Saturday. — LBG, GMA News