Fire razes sugar mill building

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – A building inside the compound of Victorias Milling Company (VMC) in Barangay 16, Victorias City, Negros Occidental was damaged by fire Wednesday evening.

Chief Inspector Jenny Mae Masip, city fire marshal, said they received a call around 6:27 p.m. informing them of the blaze that hit the New Bagas Shed Building of VMC.

Masip said the building was used as storage of sugarcane residue or pulp locally known as “bagaso” which is also being used as fuel in the mill.

Masip said the fire was raised to second alarm after six minutes as it grew bigger due to the winds.

Fire fighters from the neighboring towns of Manapla and E.B. Magalona and fire volunteers responded to the fire scene, she added.

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) declared “fire out” around 11:05 p.m. No injuries were reported.

Masip said the fire had an estimated P700,000 worth of damage, but it could change pending inventory by VMC.

Masip said they are still probing the cause of the fire, but they suspected that it was probably due to the long storage of sugarcane residue which could trigger a blaze on its own.

“Once dugay ma imbak ang bagaso, ma init na siya, pag may element of fire, kaya niya na mag burn on its own. May nakita sila daw kagab-i na may ga baga sa sulod, gulpi naghangin, nag-igrab,” Masip said.