DON’T REOPEN YET, AYALA TOLD
60-ton cooling tower of department store in danger of collapsing, says BFP official
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) 7 recommended to the Ayala Center Cebu management to suspend the opening of their mall after see- ing the danger posed by the cooling tower of the Metro Ayala Department Store and Supermarket.
Fire Senior Supt. Samuel Ta- deo said that in their inspection with engineers from Metro and Ayala, they found out that the cooling tower, which weighed 60 tons, might collapse.
“Ni-recommend natin sa Ayala na wag muna mag open kasi pwedeng bumagsak yung itaas, pag bagsak maaring matamaan yung mall nila (We recommended to them not to reopen yet). Sixty tons ang bigat ng cooling tower and nag-install na sila ng cranes para i-pull out yun. Unahin natin ang safety ng tao kasi visible na nakatagilid talaga siya (The cooling tower weighs 60 tons. They need cranes to pull that out. We have to prioritize public safety),” he said.
The tower, composed of four units, is a device that acts as a chiller, Tadeo said.
The management, according to Tadeo, is now installing cranes to pull out the cooling tower.
In their inspection, BFP 7 officials and engineers of the mall also saw the damage on the second floor of the department store.
“It was not damaged by fire. But there’s water damage and it’s really dilapidated and cannot be used anymore,” Tadeo said. The composite investigation team of the BFP also started interviewing the workers who were present when the fire hit the toys section of the third floor of Metro Ayala.
“This is to help our investigators in finding out the cause of the fire,” Tadeo said.
He said he will check with their national headquarters if they can prioritize the results of the forensic and micro-electro analysis of the debris, ash and electric wires collected from the fire scene.
BFP investigators will continue to get affidavits from representatives of the mall.
In the ongoing investigation, Tadeo admitted that the initial estimate of P100 million worth of damage may increase as they have yet to receive the documents from Metro Ayala.
Meanwhile, BFP 7 will file charges against the thief who stole cash and gadgets from two fire officers.
Tadeo said the act hurt them because the thieves took advantage of the firemen who responded to the fire alarm in Metro Ayala on Friday evening.
“We will really file a case against him. Who would expect that someone would do that?” Tadeo said.
The Metro Ayala mall was struck by fire on the evening of Friday and the flames lasted for almost three days before it was declared extinguished on Monday afternoon at 4:18.
We recommended to them not to reopen yet. The cooling tower weighs 60 tons. They need cranes to pull that out. We have to prioritize public safety. FIRE SENIOR SUPT. SAMUEL TADEO