Upholstery warehouse catches fire in Marilao, Bulacan

A fire broke out at a warehouse stocked with upholstery materials past midnight Friday in Barangay Loma de Gato, Marilao, Bulacan.

According to a Balitanghali report by James Agustin, 12 fire trucks—including units from neighboring towns—responded to the scene to control the blaze.

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said employees discovered the fire when it was already intense.

"Nu'ng chineck nila, ginising nila 'yung kasamang mga tao nila sa barracks. Binuksan nila 'yung pinaka-gate nila—'yung pinaka-entry point natin ngayon—at nakita nila na may apoy na't fully developed na, kumbaga, malaki na 'yung apoy," BFP Marilao Operations Chief SFO4 Laurice Tecson said.

(When they checked, they woke up their staff in the barracks. Upon opening the main gate—our primary entry point—they saw that the fire was already fully developed and quite large.)

Tecson added that workers initially tried to extinguish the flames using fire extinguishers, but the blaze was already too overwhelming. However, he noted that the structure's firewall helped prevent the fire from spreading to the adjacent warehouse.

"'Yung warehouse natin is naka-ano siya firewall, so nu'ng assessment namin sa tingin namin, hindi na siya kakalat, kumbaga confined na siya, 'yun nga lang isa lang 'yung entry point kaya medyo nahirapan tayo," Tecson said.

(Our assessment showed the fire was confined because the warehouse has a firewall. However, having only a single entry point made operations somewhat difficult.)

Authorities declared the fire fully out at about 4 a.m.

The BFP is still investigating where the fire originated and what caused it. Authorities have yet to determine the total cost of damage.

The owner of the warehouse declined to give a statement. — VDV, GMA News