A property in Sampaloc, Manila, went up in flames early Wednesday morning after armed men allegedly barged in, tied the hands of a caretaker, and fled.
According to a report by Jhomer Apresto on “24 Oras,” the fire destroyed P6 million worth of property and is now under police investigation.
The fire broke out around 2 a.m. inside the compound. The 21-year-old caretaker, Jay, said he was sleeping when several armed men woke him up and tied his hands.
“Di ko na sir na alam sir kasi mga naka face mask, nakapang takip ng mukha po eh. Anim or limang motor lang yung nakita ko. May nakatapak sa akin. Tapos pag sinabi nilang ‘tara na, tara na.’ Yung pinakaramdam ko, sila na parang wala lang. Saka na ako lumabas kasi may apoy na siya, malaki na po eh,” said Jay.
(I couldn’t tell anymore because they were wearing face masks and had their faces covered. I only saw about five or six motorcycles. One of them was even stepping on me. Then, when they said, ‘let’s go, let’s go,’ they just left like it was nothing. That’s when I came out—by then the fire was already big.)
Jay was able to escape, but he’s unsure if his two fellow caretakers managed to get out. Their employers were not present when the fire occurred. The local barangay confirmed that authorities are already conducting an investigation.
The compound’s CCTV camera was not functional during the incident, but investigators hope nearby cameras captured the suspects.
“’Yung nakita ko na po talagang sobrang lakas na po eh. Talagang may sumabog pang malakas,” Barangay Captain Danilo Tibay said.
(When I saw it, the fire was already big. Something blew up loudly.)
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said the blaze reached the second alarm, with nearly 40 firefighters responding. It took over four hours to fully extinguish the fire at around 5:28 a.m.
“Ang mga laman po nito ay more on plastics. Yung siguro pang construction materials ito na ginagamit. Ang total estimated damages po natin ay nasa 6 million pesos more or less,” said ESINSP Cesar Babante, Station 2 Commander of the Manila Fire District.
(It mainly contains plastics, maybe the construction materials they use. The total estimated damages are more or less 6 million pesos.)
Authorities continue to search for the two missing individuals who may have escaped during the chaos, as investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing. –Sherylin Untalan/NB, GMA Integrated News
