An investigation is now underway to identify the cause of the blaze.
On Wednesday, a three-storey government building, which is being occupied by the Department of Public Works and Highways – Bureau of Research and Standards (DPWH-BRS), located at EDSA corner NIA Road, Brgy. Pinyahan, Quezon City, caught fire.
According to the briefing by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), the fire reportedly started at 12:30 pm and was first reported eight minutes later.
Due to the rapid development of the incident, additional fire trucks were dispatched and the alarm was raised to third alarm at 12:56 pm, before it was declared under control at 1:34 and officially fire out at 1:49 pm.
“The cause of the fire remains under investigation by BFP fire investigators, following the initial scene examination and the collection and preservation of physical evidence, which may point to the origin and contributing factors of the blaze,” the BFP said in its statement.
Meanwhile, after the fire, BFP Regional Director Jaime Ramirez, along with members of the responding unit and fire investigators, conducted an initial assessment and coordinated directly with Director Juliana Vergara, Director IV of the DPWH-BRS, along with other key officials of the the department assigned to the said facility.
DPWH STATEMENT
Meanwhile, the blaze has raised concerns among the public, especially that the Public Works department is currently part of probe for the anomalous flood control projects around the country.
In response, the department wrote in its statement, “The DPWH confirms that no documents related to the ongoing investigation into the flood control anomalies were in the Bureau of Research and Standards (BRS) building that caught fire in Quezon City today.“
It explained that the BRS is responsible for the conduct of research, studies, pilot testing, and formulation of policies for government infrastructure projects and is not the unit involved in the investigations.
“Initial findings indicate that the fire originated from a computer unit inside the Materials Testing Division that reportedly exploded. No employees were harmed during the incident,” the DPWH added.