Pangasinan town’s new firetruck no help vs. convent fire

A firetruck bought just last December for P900,000 proved useless in fighting a fire that hit a convent in Aguilar town in Pangasinan province on Wednesday.

While firefighters from neighboring Bugallon town helped fight the fire, as Aguilar's new fire truck was at a repair shop, GMA Dagupan's Jasmin Gabriel reported Thursday.

The fire started at about 9 a.m. at the convent of the Saint Joseph Parish Church. An initial investigation by the Bureau of Fire Protection showed a cigarette butt may have caused the fire.

A Bureau of Fire Protection team from Bugallon arrived and helped put out the fire.

But once the smoke cleared, residents – including the local priest – asked where the town's spanking new firetruck was.

"We wish sana na laging gumagana ang aming fire truck," said Fr. Jeremiah of St. Joseph Parish Church.

SFO3 Arturo Orduña of the BFP Aguilar explained: "Kasi naman wala nang driver, wala pang personnel... Tinesting namin kanina, pumalya yung firetruck."

Orduña said the fire truck was in a repair shop because its fire pump was broken at the time.

Last month, the provincial board asked why the BFP Aguilar failed to respond to a series of forest fires in the area.

The Aguilar town government bought the fire truck last December, for P900,000.

Now, the town council wants to find out why the fire truck was already ineffective. — Joel Locsin/LBG, GMA News