Task force given 45 days to probe 4-day Caloocan mall fire

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo has given an inter-agency task force 45 days to get to the bottom of the four-day fire that gutted Ever Gotesco Grand Central Mall in Caloocan City over the weekend.   Bureau of Fire Protection Senior Superintendent Fennimore Jaudian, chief of the task force, said they are to look into all angles, including arson, behind the fire.   "We are given by [Robredo] not later than 45 days. We hope to finish it within the time frame," Jaudian said in an interview on dzBB radio.   He said the focus of the investigation at this stage is to determine the cause of the fire, which started before 11 p.m. on Friday, March 16, and was placed under control more than 24 hours later. However, it was put out only Tuesday morning.   Smoke from the burning mall affected the operations of the Light Rail Transit Line 1's Monumento station Saturday.   Jaudian said they will also look into allegations the mall's security personnel prevented firefighters from getting inside the burning mall during the early stages of the fire.   "Kung totoo yan, may kaakibat na penalties under the Fire Code," he said.   Jaudian also said they will go further into the circumstances surrounding the fire, including speculations of arson.   "We will look into all those things," he said. — KBK, GMA News