A midday fire broke out on Wednesday at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) compound in Diliman, Quezon City, engulfing the third floor of one of its buildings and triggering a third alarm response from firefighters.
The blaze, which began around 12:30 PM, affected three offices of the DPWH Bureau of Research and Standards (BRS): the Materials Testing Division, the Technical Services Division, and the storage room of the Standards Development Division.
Over 60 fire trucks responded to the scene before the fire was declared out past 2:00 PM. There were no reported casualties while a fire volunteer sustained minor injuries from the incident.
"Immediately ang BFP ay nagpalabas ng 8 fire trucks po, actually 66 fire trucks po ang nandito. Pasalamat tayo walang major injuries na nangyari, walang fatality po. In less than an hour po ay napatay natin ang sunog," said FSSupt. Rodrigo Reyes, Fire Marshall of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Quezon City.
The Office of the Ombudsman ordered an investigation into the fire that broke out at a Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) building in Quezon City on Wednesday, which the agency said spared documents related to alleged flood control anomalies.
"The Ombudsman has directed the immediate coordination with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to determine the cause of the fire and to establish whether arson or any deliberate act was committed," the office said in a statement.
Thick smoke and flames consumed the upper floor of the building located along NIA Road, prompting firefighters to break windows for ventilation and quicker suppression of the fire.
According to initial findings by the BFP, burned items include documents, computers, office tables, and other equipment. Some offices on the floor, including the stockroom and the office of the Technical Working Group, were spared.
DPWH Bureau of Research and Standards Director IV Juliana Vergara confirmed that the fire originated from one of the cubicles in the Materials Testing Division.
"Yun pong third floor kung saan nagsimula ang apoy, ay bakante, umaattend ng training yung tao sa fourth floor. Kaya po nung nakita, medyo may apoy na. Isang cubicle na walang tao, may computer, doon po nag-umpisa [ang sunog]," Vergara said.
During a Senate Committee on Justice hearing held the same day, DPWH Assistant Secretary Melody Villar identified the affected building as housing Region 4-B’s testing facilities.
"This is actually the regional office, Regional 4B of the DPWH. Dito po ang site ng testing material ng DPWH ng mga supplier like semento, mga bakal dito tinetest. So we are looking into it already pero ito yung testing site," Villar told senators.
Senator Kiko Pangilinan raised concerns during the hearing, asking: "Testing site? …yung mga dokumento ng DPWH regional office Region 4B is housed in that office?"
To which Villar responded: "A number but most of it naman po nasa data base na ng central."
However, BRS Director Vergara later clarified: "Ang mga nasira pong dokumento, ay mga reports sa mga validation ng materials yung regular na ginagawa ng Bureau of Research. Wala pong documents pertaining to the issues na yung pong pinaguusapan ngayon, dahil kami po ay nagcoconduct ng research. Wala po kaming dokumento dito na tungkol doon sa mga projects na under investigation."
She emphasized that testing of materials for district and regional engineering projects is handled by their respective offices: "Sila ang nagcoconduct dahil sila ay capable of doing tests."
The DPWH, in a statement, said that the department has initiated its own investigation to assess the extent of the damage and determine necessary safety improvements to prevent future incidents.
Meanwhile, the affected staff will be relocated to a nearby covered court, and it remains unclear when they will temporarily resume work.