No report yet on Baguio market fire after 2 mos.

By Gaby B. Keith

BAGUIO CITY -- Mayor Magalong said the city government is still awaiting the Bureau of Fire's official report on the cause of fire that razed the Baguio City Public Market’s blocks 3 and 4 area on March 11, this year.
    In Monday’s flag-raising rites at City Hall, the mayor said cause of the fire was most likely accidental and nothing related to arson or faulty wiring.
    “Baka merong nanigarilyo o gumamit ng kandila. Kung minsan kasi duon sa lugar na iyon eh tuwing umaga may nakikita pa nga silang human wastes at upos ng sigarilyo. Iyan yung report ng mga ibang witnesses sa lugar na iyon,” he said. The mayor claimed he was not bothered by the slow pace of the ongoing investigation on the market conflagration as long as this was done with care and precision.
    “Mabuti na iyong maingat sila kaysa naman gumagawa kaagad ng conclusions na hilaw pa ung mga ebidensya. We leave it to the experts who are members of the Bureau of Fire. Maingat din sila sa kanilang mga binibitawang salita. Everything should be evidence-based and based on facts,” he said.
     “Let’s just wait for their official report,”the mayor added. “Anyway, nakabigay na sila ng initial findings sa atin at it doesn’t cause any alarm. Iyan ang importante duon, it’s not alarming. Bayaan lang natin silang tapusin ang kanilang imbestigasyon.”
    The mayor promised a press conference will be conducted to inform the public once he obtains the official report on the market fire that caused an estimated P24 million in damages and displaced almost two thousand vendors.