ZAMBOANGA CITY, June 29 (PIA) – The relative calm of the night was shattered by an 11:03 PM Emergency Hotline 911 call to Zamboanga City Fire District informing of a fire in progress at the semi-concrete storage warehouse of Philippine International Development Inc. (PHIDCO), located at Baliwasan Seaside, Zamboanga City.

On June 27, 2022 after receiving a fire call, duty personnel of Zamboanga City Fire District-Central Fire Station Bauer 10 and 23 and Fire Engine #19 of San Jose Gusu Fire Substation were immediately dispatched to the area.

In a report, Central Fire Station Shift Commander and Ground Commander SFO1 Danilo M Tende sized up the fire scene and reported to the ZCFD-Vulcan Base that the fire was fully-developed and uncontrollable.

As the situation worsened, the Bureau of Fire Protection has requested the dispatch of ten other fire trucks from different substations as well as the Special Rescue Force, to immediately respond.

Acting District Fire Marshal, CINSP Lucio P. Albaracin assumed the post as Ground Commander a few minutes later and declared first alarm status which was then elevated to second alarm by 11:15pm and finally third alarm by 11:20pm. He then ordered all ZCFD Office Personnel to report in order to augment the first responding team.

Water Tankers of Zamboanga City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (ZCDRRMO) as well as those coming from different agencies/ organizations provided round the clock water supply while the Philippine Coast Guard and other Auxiliary Groups served as force multipliers during the firefighting operations.

The police, as well as some members of the AFP were also present to enforce security measures.

Fire out was declared three days later at 11:55 am. Cause of fire is still under investigation. As of June 29, 11:00 am, estimated damage to property stands at more or less Php 18,000,000.00.

Initial investigations showed that the fire broke out at 11 p.m. on Monday and razed the volume of copra stored inside the warehouse. A report said that the workers were reportedly utilizing 24/7 the payloader in their assigned task, a reason for the equipment to overheat.

CINSP Albaracin expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the City Government of Zamboanga, government agencies and instrumentalities, private companies, NGO’s and the citizenry for all their help, assistance and contributions.

PHIDCO, established in 1959, is a coconut processing and export firm according to the company website.

Its export products include crude coconut oil, refined bleached deodorized (rbd) coconut oil, cochin coconut oil, and copra expeller cake. It also produces the Washington brand of cooking oil, Datu laundry bars, and Viva detergent bars for the local market. (EDT/RVC/PIA9-Zamboanga City with reports and photos from Zamboanga City Fire District)