Fire at old Comelec building was an accident, says gov’t investigators

By Ronron
April 12, 2007

An inter-agency body that investigated the fire that gutted down the old Commission on Elections (Comelec) building in Intramuros, Manila last March 11 declared on Thursday that the incident was a pure accident.

In a press conference at the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) office in Quezon City, DILG Undersecretary for Public Safety Marius Corpus said the 12-man Inter-Agency Anti-Arson Task Force, headed by Fire Supt. Fennimore Jaudian, traced the origin of the fire to loose electrical wiring.

“After evaluating all the sworn statements and the investigation, the team found no significant information that would indicate that the incident was intentionally done,” Corpus said.

“Likewise, there were no telltale signs and incriminating evidence of arson at the scene of the fire,” he added.

Consistent with the testimony of a Comelec utility worker who was inside the building when the fire started, Corpus said fire investigators found out that the flame originated from the ceiling of the electrical/power room of the General Services Division (GSD).

“The team was of the opinion that the cause of the fire was probably due to loose energized electrical wiring connection that generated arcs/sparks that ignited combustible materials thereat,” Corpus said.

In the same press conference, Jaudian pointed out that “no general rewiring” was done at the said building since it was built in the 1960’s.

And the fire grew bigger due to the strong winds coming from Manila Bay and the combustible materials inside the building, apart from the fact that the structure itself is already very old, Corpus said.

The fire was only put out at 5:30 am, or almost five hours since it started at 12:51 am.

Corpus said firemen at the nearby Intramuros Fire Station had difficulty in penetrating the fire scene because of a huge wall that blocked the old Comelec building.

Aside from conducting ocular inspection and forensic examination on recovered burnt materials, Corpus said the task force gathered the statements of 17 witnesses who include residents in the area, Comelec employees, and policemen assigned in the area.

“Based on the interviews and investigation conducted by the team, we consider this fire incident solved or closed, with the cause of the fire accidental in nature,” Corpus said.

As such, no one will be prosecuted in relation to the incident, said Jaudian.

Corpus said the Comelec fire incident should now serve as warning to all local government offices, not just in Manila City, for them to strictly adhere to the required annual inspection and maintenance of all buildings.

The fire at the old Comelec building, which is located along Postigo corner Arzobispo Streets in Intramuros, damaged more or less P20 million worth of properties, according to the Comelec./DMS