A fire struck a voting center in Bangued, Abra early morning on Wednesday, just five days before the 2025 national and local elections.

The blaze gutted about 70 percent of Dangdangla Elementary School, the only polling place in Barangay Dangdangla, according to the Commission on Elections (COMELEC).

The fire broke out past 3 a.m., before the delivery of automated counting machines (ACMs), forcing a temporary halt to the final testing and sealing.

Despite the damage, COMELEC assured voting on May 12 will push through.

“Hindi kami magpapatakot kung ‘yan man ay intentional. They will still vote in that particular place para makita ng mga kababayan natin habang sila ay bumoboto, ginawang abo ang mismong lugar kung saan nag-aaral ang mga kabataan, anak at mga apo ninyo,” COMELEC Chairperson George Erwin Garcia told Kapihan sa Manila Bay.

COMELEC said around 992 voters are registered at the school. Two classrooms that were not affected by the fire will be used for polling and storage, while makeshift voting areas will be set up on-site.

Final testing and sealing of the ACMs was expected to continue at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Early voting from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. for senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and pregnant women will proceed as scheduled, followed by regular voting from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Abra has 188,957 registered voters, including over 35,000 in Bangued.

The province has 49 clustered precincts across 24 voting centers.

The Bureau of Fire Protection is still investigating the cause of the blaze as of this writing.

(with reports from Sundy Locus, GMA Integrated News)