10 rescued from burning building in San Juan

BY JEL SANTOS

Ten people, including senior citizens, children, and a baby, were rescued by personnel of the Bureau of Fire Protection–San Juan (BFP-San Juan) from a blaze that hit a high-rise building in Greenhills, San Juan Sunday morning.

BFP-San Juan director Supt. John F. Pinagod Jr. said they used an aerial ladder from BFP-NCR’ Special Rescue Force to rescue those who got trapped in the Annapolis Tower located at 43 Annapolis Street in Barangay Greenhills.

“Our complete equipment such as breathing apparatus made it possible to quickly and safely rescue those who got trapped. There were at least 10 of them – senior citizens, children, and a baby,” he said during a phone interview.

After getting rescued, BFP-San Juan checked the vital signs of the residents.

“Mayor Francis Zamora was also with us and provided meals and drinks to those rescued and to BFP personnel,” said Pinagod.

He said the blaze most likely started from the ceiling at the second floor of the building.

“We have not ruled it out but that is what our initial investigation showed. The building is an old structure as its ceilings were made of wood, new buildings no longer use that, what they use now is aluminum,” the BFP-San Juan director said.

The fire started at 9:45 a.m., and was declared out at 11:17 a.m.

According to Pinagod, around 20 fire trucks from neighboring cities responded and helped them extinguish the fire.