Glorietta 2 cooling tower catches fire
Manila Standard
A spark from an air-conditioning equipment caused a fire at the Glorietta mall in Makati City yesterday, barely a year after the explosion that killed 11 people.
The Makati Central Fire Department said the old cooling tower at Glorietta 2—a section of the Ayala-owned shopping complex which remained closed since the blast—went up in flames while it was being dismantled by workers using acetylene torches around 2:38 p.m.
“There was a spark and then it caught fire,” said SFO2 Edmund Mercado, referring to the climate-control machinery that served establishments inside Glorietta 2.
Firefighters were able to control the blaze in 10 minutes without any injury reported.
Senior Supt. Gilbert Cruz, police chief, commended security for cordoning off the place and preventing panic.
On Oct. 19, 2007, 11 people were killed and a hundred others were wounded when an explosion rocked the basement of Glorietta 2.
Police later concluded that the blast was due to accumulated methane gas in a confined space.
The Justice Department recommended the filing of charges of reckless imprudence resulting to homicide and multiple physical injuries against eight officers and staff of Makati Supermarket Corp. and two private firms conducting repair work at the time.
The agency has cleared officials of Ayala Property Management Corp. which runs the mall, and the Bureau of Fire Protection personnel of any liability.
Ferdinand Fabella
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