Electrical fire, not arson, caused the four-hour blaze that struck the famous Star City amusement park last October, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) ruled Friday.
“As per investigation report of Inter-Agency Anti-Arson Task Force, electrical fire due to overheated light ballast ang cause ng sunog,” BFP spokesman Gerrandie Agonos said.
“Hindi po sinadya,” he added.
The Star City management said in a statement that investigators from the BFP, National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police concluded that the fire was caused by overheating of one of the ballasts attached to a fluorescent light above the “Try Your Luck” game booth at the ground floor of the amusement park.
It added that, “the ballast malfunction was due to normal wear and tear or deterioration,” prompting the BFP “to conclude that the fire was accidental” and not intentional, contrary to previous findings.
Initial investigation by the Pasay City BFP showed that arson was the cause of fire that hit the amusement park in Pasay City, citing various reasons including, “gasoline in an area where it should not be.”
A week after the incident, the Pasay City fire bureau turned over the investigation on the fire to the BFP-National Capital Region and then to the Inter-Agency Anti-Arson Task Force.
About P1 billion worth of Star City’s property were destroyed by fire which started around 12:31 a.m.
The adjacent Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC), which owns radio stations DZAR, Love Radio, Yes the Best! and Easy Rock; and Aliw Theater were also gutted.
The operation of the amusement park has been suspended since the incident.(Joseph Padrajas)
