Fire hits ice cream storage facility under construction in Batangas

MALVAR, Batangas — A fire engulfed a nearly completed four-storey building being constructed for ice cream manufacturer Degic Foods Corp. in Barangay Bulihan in Malvar, Batangas on Sunday afternoon, causing an estimated P111 million in damage, the Bureau of Fire Protection said.

The fire broke out around 4 p.m., sending thick, black smoke billowing from the building.

Assistant welder Jomar Dasigan said he had just finished work when he noticed heavy smoke rising from the structure. He immediately ran to the workers’ barracks to alert his colleagues.

“Kumalat na yung usok papunta sa amin sa barracks kaya takbo kami dito papunta diyan sa isang gate kasi hindi na namin kaya maano na sa dibdib, masakit,” Dasigan said.

(The smoke was spreading to the barracks so we ran to one of the gates. It hurt to breathe.)

Fire SInsp. Santee Espares Jr., Malvar’s municipal fire marshal, said initial investigations indicated that the fire started on the building’s second floor.

Authorities have yet to determine the cause.

The first and second floors sustained fire damage, while the basement and roof deck were spared, Espares said.

Firefighters struggled to enter the building and contain the blaze because the thick, black smoke severely limited visibility.

Espares said the structure was being developed as a cold storage facility for the company’s products. He said the polystyrene boards and foam materials used in the facility’s insulation system contributed to the heavy black smoke.

Firefighters from various parts of Batangas responded to the incident, alongside fire trucks from industrial parks and volunteer firefighters from neighboring Laguna province.

The BFP declared the fire out at 8:22 p.m., more than four hours after it started.

No injuries were reported.

The management has yet to issue a statement on the incident.