Fire destroys candle factory in Pangasinan

A fire gutted a candle manufacturing facility in Manaoag, Pangasinan, on Friday, August 7, 2026, reaching the fourth alarm before firefighters brought it under control after nearly nine hours, authorities said.

The fire broke out shortly after 2 a.m. at the two-story factory in Barangay Pao, according to authorities. Firefighters and other emergency responders immediately responded, while additional firefighting units from more than 10 nearby towns and fire volunteers were called in to help contain the blaze.

Vicky Gaspalang, a resident, said they initially thought there was a power outage before realizing that the factory was already engulfed in flames.

“Akala ko brownout, tapos nakarinig ako ng sigaw ni kagawad. 'Yun na, bumangon na kami. Nakita namin na malaki na kaya umalis na kami sa bahay,” she said.

(I thought it was a power outage, then I heard the barangay councilor shouting. That was when we got up. We saw that it had already gotten big, so we left the house.)

Firefighters used aqueous film-forming foam to help prevent the flames from spreading further.

Avelino Naoa, the factory owner, said the fire started in the room where the candle-making machines were located. He said they tried to put out the fire using a fire extinguisher, but the flames quickly became uncontrollable.

Naoa said his priority was to prevent the fire from spreading to homes nearby.

“Unang firetruck sabi ko i-safety muna 'yung bahay para hindi madamay kasi andiyan na 'yung apoy. Wala na tayong magagawa,” he said.

(When the first fire truck arrived, I said we should secure the house first so it wouldn’t be affected because the fire was already there. There was nothing we could do anymore.)

Naoa said the factory, which has been operating for more than three decades, had complied with fire safety requirements, including the installation of firewalls on both sides of the building.

“Lahat ng compliance sinusunod namin... Naglagay ako ng firewall both side at lahat para in case na masunugan sila, hindi kami madadamay at kung masusunugan kami, hindi rin sila madadamay,” he said.

(We follow all the compliance requirements... I installed firewalls on both sides and made sure everything was in place so that if they have a fire, it won’t spread to us, and if we have a fire, it won’t spread to them either.)

Authorities said the building's firewall helped prevent the fire from spreading to nearby houses. Rainfall during the incident also aided firefighters in extinguishing the blaze.

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) has yet to release an official statement on the cause of the fire, the total damage to the factory, and the estimated cost of losses. No injuries were reported. The fire was declared out at 10:59 a.m.

Assistant Regional Director for Administration, FSSupt. Eddie Jucutan of BFP Region 1, said firefighters had to proceed carefully because of the intensity of the flames and the risk of structural collapse.

“‘Pag umaatake sila doon sa pag-apula ng sunog, talagang lumalagablab 'yung apoy kaya nagbigay tayo ng instruction na dahan-dahan muna sila. Itong mga structures, actually nag-collapse na,” he said.

(When they tried to put out the fire, the flames really flared up, so we instructed them to proceed slowly. These structures had actually already collapsed.) — GMA Regional TV