Two policemen died while two others were injured after a fire razed a compound occupied by elite Special Action Forces (SAF) personnel inside the Philippine National Police (PNP) National Headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City before dawn Friday.
A report reaching Camp Crame identified the fatalities as Police Staff Sergeant Nichol Jamosjos, a SAF trooper; and Police Master Sergeant Amado Ormillon Jr., a responding base fire personnel.
Meanwhile, Police Captain Victorioso Yulde of PNP-SAF and Police Staff Sergeant Jesus Apil of the Directorate for Personnel and Records Management (DPRM) escaped with a few injuries and are now in stable condition at the PNP General Hospital (PNPGH).
According to the report, the fire broke out at the motor pool of the PNP SAF located at the Transportation and Maintenance Division facility of the Logistics Support Services (TMD-LSS) around 2 a.m.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Vinluan, deputy chief of the TMD-LSS, said he was awakened by a loud explosion near the gate of the compound so he immediately checked it.
It was then that Vinluan saw a burning SAF V150 armored truck that was parked on the vehicle shed.
Vinluan alarmed his colleagues to call for a fire truck while the others used a fire extinguisher to suppress the fire, the report noted.
Jamosjos and Yulde, both on-duty crew of the burned V150 armored vehicle, and Apil got suffocated while they were at the barracks. They were rushed to the PNPGH.
Yulde and Apil survived the ordeal but Jamosjos, who also got electrocuted, was declared dead on arrival at the PNPGH, the report said.
While responding base fire personnel were putting out the fire, Ormillon was also electrocuted by a live wire and his head hit a steel bunker, the report said.
Ormillon was brought to the PNPGH where he was declared dead on arrival.
The fire was put out at 3:06 a.m., the report said.
Fire investigators have conducted a follow up investigation to determine the cause of the fire and the extent of damage it caused.
PNP Chief, General Debold Sinas directed Police Brigadier General Arthur Bisnar, director of the Headquarters Support Service (PNP-HSS), to conduct a rigid periodic safety inspection of the facilities and buildings at Camp Crame, especially the old structures that are made of light and combustible materials which may be considered fire hazard. (Martin A. Sadongdong)
