Fire in Barangay Holy Spirit, QC hits 5 commercial establishments

Five commercial establishments were gutted in a fire that hit Barangay Holy Spirit in Quezon City early Thursday morning.

According to the Bureau of Fire Protection - National Capital Region (BFP-NCR), the fire broke out along Don Antonio Drive in Barangay Holy Spirit at around 4:45 a.m.

The blaze quickly spread to adjacent establishments due to the presence of light materials inside the buildings, according to a report of GMA News’ James Agustin on Unang Balita.

Authorities said the affected establishments included three eateries, a pet shop, and a pharmacy.

“Actually, we are refugees here. We have been repatriated from Gaza for almost two years. This is our main source of income. We are surviving day by day to be honest with you in terms of house and food. But now it has become very complicated," owner of one of the affected eateries Tareq Obaid said.

Around 30 fire trucks responded as the fire reached the second alarm at 4:57 a.m.

The blaze was declared out at 5:45 a.m.

Firefighters said they encountered difficulty in containing the fire because the structures were commercial establishments filled with light and combustible materials.

Quezon City Fire District Station 2 commander Fire Senior Inspector Reinhard Baldovino said, “Pagdating namin, malakas na yung apoy. So doon kami nahihirapan kasi naturingan siyang komersyal tapos puro light materials ang gawa sa loob.”

(When we arrived, the fire was already huge. So we had a hard time there because it was a commercial building and the interior was made of light materials.)

Responders also reported hearing explosions from tanks.

Investigators are still determining the cause of the fire and identifying where the blaze started.

Some of the establishments sustained heavy damage, with portions of the roofs collapsing due to the fire.

Traffic along Holy Spirit Drive, which was affected during the firefighting operations, especially on the lane leading to Commonwealth Avenue, already normalized later in the morning. —Joviland Rita/ VAL, GMA News