ILOILO CITY – A 12-hour fire destroyed almost half of the public market in Kalibo, the capital town of Aklan, yesterday.
“This is a major incident,” said Fire Senior Insp. Sidgie Gerardo, Kalibo fire marshall.
Gerardo said the exact extent of the fire which started at 12:30 a.m. is still unknown as post-clearing operations are still ongoing.
The Bureau of Fire Protection officially declared the fire out at around 11:30 a.m.
“We are still assessing the damage and we are still coordinating with stall owners,” Gerardo emphasized.
Based on initial investigation, the fire started at the meat and vegetable section of the market and quickly spread to other stalls.
BFP firetrucks and firemen from Altavas, Balete, Buruanga, Ibajay, Libacao, Malay, and Numancia, Aklan, volunteer firetrucks, as well as fire trucks from Capiz augmented BFP Kalibo. (Tara Yap)