A FIRE broke out in the basement of Prince David Condominium along Katipunan Avenue at 12:30 PM on October 10 and filled the building with smoke.
Because of the smoke, only firemen with breathing apparatus could get into the condominium.
Quezon City Fire Marshall Superintendent Jesus Fernandez said investigation is still ongoing, but reports say the fire originated from a trash bin in the basement, which was found partially burned.
Fernandez said that the trash bins were made of fiberglass, which caused the foul smell that came with the smoke.
The situation was reported as under control at 1:57 PM and the fire, which was contained in the basement and did not reach the units, was declared out at 2:14 PM.
Fernandez said that improper housekeeping is the most probable cause for the fire.
“Siguro may mga nagtapon ng flammable doon [at] probably may nagtapon ng sigarilyo or what. Tinitingnan pa namin, purely theoretical pa [ito] (Perhaps some people threw out flammable material and someone probably threw out a cigarette or what. We’re still looking at it, this is purely theoretical),” he said.
Prior reports pointed to the explosion of an air conditioner in Unit 908 as the combustion source.
Fernandez later clarified that there was no fire damage in the unit and that the explosion was possibly caused by the pressure buildup from the basement.
Fernandez also announced that all occupants of the building at the time were accounted for, with seven residents who were sent to the hospital for conditions such as suffocation.
In an interview with The GUIDON, Assistant to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs (ADSA) for Student Services Cholo Mallillin said that two Ateneans were treated on the spot by the Ateneo Risk Management Unit (ARMU) along with other tenants.
Mallilin said the Ateneans were junior Koy Mapolon and freshman Bettina Beltran, who were treated for anxiety and smoke inhalation, respectively.
The ARMU was created to assess possible risks and to utilize resources to minimize and monitor their impacts.
The ARMU was dispatched with personnel from the Megaforce Integrated Security Agency at 12:25 PM as per Campus Safety and Mobility Office (CSMO) Director Marcelino Mendoza’s instruction.
The CSMO is a newly created office dedicated to overseeing traffic management and security in the Ateneo campuses.
Atenean tenants
According to Mallillin, there are currently 75 Ateneans staying at Prince David Condominium as recorded in the Ateneo Integrated Student Information System (AISIS).
As of press time, 21 out of the 75 Ateneans have been accounted for through text messaging and an on-location check facilitated by ADSA.
Malilin said that there were Ateneans whose names were not included in the AISIS list and were only identified through the help of other tenants in the condominium.
These additional names were counter checked in ADSA’s own database.
Furthermore, he said that ADSA is trying to figure out whether the incident will affect the academics of the students considering that final examinations are slated for next week.
“If their studies will be affected, we need to update the faculty,” he said.
Mallilin said that ADSA accredits off-campus dormitories to offer the same privileges—such as emergency medical care—that are being offered to the students residing in the campus dormitories.
“We have to find a way to get [these condominiums] into our system. Even if they are unsupervised, even if they are unaccredited, there are Ateneans who need safety and protection,” Mallilin said.
He explained that condominiums are technically not considered as dormitories since units can be bought and authorities do not implement rules as strict as those for the latter.
Narratives
According to Unit 908 tenant Lilibeth Villasis, there was an explosion from the air conditioner in one of the rooms in her unit. “Parang bomba na pagsabog [tapos] may usok. Nakasaksak yung AC (air conditioner) pero off (There was a bomb-like explosion and then smoke. The AC was switched off but it was plugged in.).“
Villasis was covered in soot and had scratches on her forehead but was otherwise unharmed.
For Unit 1005 tenant Bong Gonzales, “parang may bumagsak na bagay na napakalaki sa taas [at] yumanig ang building; parang gumalaw (it seemed as if a heavy object crashed on top of the building which caused it to tremble; it seemed like it moved).”
Gonzales said that heavy smoke was filling up the corridors and water from the sprinklers was already accumulating on the floor.
“Hindi [ko na at ng ibang tenants] makita yung dinadaanan namin [sa hallway], na suffocate na kami (The other tenants and I could not see where we were passing in the hallway, we were suffocating.),” he said.
Gonzales said they were able to find their way down the building through the fire exit.
The residents were later allowed to go back up to their rooms to check their belongings but were advised to leave the vicinity after doing so.
With reports from Vince M. Estrada
Updated on October 11,2014 at 8:07 PM.
Why only now, the Campus Safety and Mobility Office (CSMO)? Or rather, what was the change in need or situation that merited/lead to the creation of the CSMO?
And how does this office work with other bodies dedicated to the safety in school, like the security, the Dream team at times, Physical Plant, ARMU, etc.?