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BY MERIANNE GRACE EREÑETA
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ILOILO City – Fire hit a factory of firecrackers in Barangay San Jose, Arevalo district yesterday afternoon.
The factory, owned by Barangay Councilman Henry Alimen, was made of light materials, according to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).
The fire started around 1:10 p.m. and was completely put out at 2:34 p.m.
“Indi pa mabal-an ang source sa pag-trigger sang sparks sang fireworks,” said Fire Officer 2 Denmark Macoco, fire investigator.
Alimen was rushed to The Medical City. His right arm was injured.
The factory was totally burned.
No one else was injured except for Alimen, according to the BFP.
The damage was estimated to have reached P300,000.
BFP recently called for tighter firecracker regulations. It specifically wanted all public plazas in this city off-limits to vendors selling firecrackers this holiday season.
City Fire Marshal Jerry Candido proposed that the selling be done only in one area – Arevalo district, and specifically along the long stretch of the circumferential road in Barangay San Jose.
Arevalo is considered the “firecrackers capital” of Iloilo. It is where most of the local firecracker manufacturers are based.
According to Candido, the circumferential road in Barangay San Jose is an open space far from residences and business establishments, thus it is very safe for firecracker selling.
For decades, the city government has been allowing firecracker vendors to sell in the public plazas of Arevalo, Molo, City Proper, La Paz, Jaro, and Mandurriao albeit with stringent safety requirements.
This time, however, the BFP wants an arrangement that is more safe to the public.
“Our plazas should not be used for selling or retailing firecrackers kay delikado gid ina ya (because these are dangerous materials),” said Candido.
He recalled an incident at the public plaza of Jaro a few years back. Fire hit one firecracker stall and this spread to other stalls on New Year’s eve.
The area he has proposed – along the circumferential road in Barangay San Jose – can accommodate as many as 300 firecracker stalls, said Candido, so no firecracker vendors will be displaced.
“Indi madula ang means of livelihood nila but at the same time indi man naton ma-compromise ang public safety,” said Candido.
Through an executive order December last year, Mabilog designated the following as firecracker selling zones:
* City Proper – Plaza Libertad (across the Government Service Insurance System building and in front of the old National Statistics Office building)
* Molo – Molo Plaza, across Andok’s restaurant only
* Mandurriao – Mandurriao Plaza, in front of the district police station
* Jaro – Jaro Plaza, along E. Lopez Street, in front of Ted’s La Paz Batchoy restaurant and in front of Andok’s restaurant
* La Paz – La Paz Plaza, across the Bureau of Fire Protection station only; and
* Arevalo – Quezon Street, JV Jocson Street (from UMV Building) to Osmeña Street, Barangay Mohon, Bonifacio Street, and Yulo Street./PN
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