BFP told to complete probe in market fire incident

City officials recently requested the national chief marshal of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to provide a complete investigation and report on the cause and circumstances of the fire incident on the night of March 11, 2023 that gutted blocks 3 and 4 of the city public market.

Under Resolution No. 323, series of 2023, local legislators stated that the Office of the national chief fire marshal of the BFP has the expertise and authority to conduct comprehensive investigations into fire incidents, determine their causes, and recommend measures to prevent their recurrence.

Earlier, a portion of Block 3 and the entire Block 4 of the city public market were razed by fire on the night of March 11, 2023 where the same lasted for more than 5 hours.

The council claimed that more than a month has passed since the fire incident at the Baguio city public market which had caused significant damage to properties and endangering the lives of citizens but there are yet no clear findings on the origin of the fire.

The body passed Resolution No. 173, series of 2023 supported the clamor of the public for a full investigation on the fire incident to determine the origin of the fire and cause and to know whether it is a fortuitous event or otherwise as well as to put an end to the suspicion that the same was deliberately done for whatever purpose and for whatever interest.

According to the council, an investigation is in order to determine the cause of the said fire incident and the results of the investigation must be made available to the general public to ensure transparency and allow concerned stakeholders to take the necessary actions based on the findings and whatever recommendations that will be made by the investigating agency. – Dexter A. See