Predawn fire hits Cebu provincial capitol compound

At least four government buildings were destroyed and a fifth was damaged after a predawn fire that lasted over four hours ravaged Tuesday the Cebu provincial capitol compound. Cebu fire officials said the fire also destroyed a van owned by the brother of Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia. The incident took place with barely two weeks to go before the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit that has been postponed to Jan. 10-15, 2007. No one was reported killed but a fireman was injured. Arson investigators estimated the damage to property at P5 million. It was not immediately clear how the fire would affect the city government’s operations and preparations for the upcoming Asean summit. Garcia has been leading local officials in months of preparation for the Asean summit, which the government rescheduled due to the threat of typhoon Seniang. As of 8 a.m. Tuesday, radio station dzBB reported that the fire destroyed the Cebu Security Unit where the fire reportedly started; the Court of First Instance; a community cooperative chaired by governor Garcia's mother Esperanza; and the Vice Mayors' League of the Philippines Cebu Chapter. Partially burned was the nearby Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) building. Field investigator Senior Fire Officer (SFO) 1 Roy Espinola told dzBB radio that a fireman, initially identified as FO (Fire Officer) 2 Diosdado Cutimar, sustained injuries to his shoulder while destroying a glass window at the CFI building. Initial reports showed that the fire started near the provincial capitol at 1:25 a.m. and reached the third alarm but was "controlled and confined" after 15 minutes. However, radio station dzMM reported that at 3:10 a.m., the fire broke out again, spreading to the cooperative and the old office of the Vice Mayors' League in Cebu, which is now occupied by the provincial disaster coordinating council, and the local office of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA). It destroyed several service vehicles of the provincial detention and rehabilitation center, and a Hyundai Starex van owned by Byron Garcia, the governor's brother. Provincial fire marshal Senior Superintendent Anderson Comar said the second fire was placed under control before 6 a.m. Comar told dzMM Cebu-based affiliate station dyAB that he had to request for help from firefighters in neighboring Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu and Talisay Cities. He said that as of 6 a.m. Tuesday, it was still not clear what caused the fire. He said the initial estimate of damage to property was placed at P5 million.-GMANews.TV