MANILA – The fire that burned cars in an outdoor pay parking area at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Monday afternoon was suspected to be a grassfire.
Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) general manager Eric Ines said the extremely hot weather could have triggered a grassfire that hit at least 19 cars.
Ines added that MIAA was already in talks with the concessionaire of the parking area, Philippine Skylanders Inc. (PSI), for possible assistance to the owners of the affected cars.
“Palagay namin aksidente. Hindi siguro sinadya ito. Mabilis lang talaga kahit anong tingin mo nakakatakot talaga. Magsindi ka lang ng konti ang bilis,” Ines said.
He added: “Ang importante (pag-aralan) how we can avoid ang mga ganitong klaseng sitwasyon because very dry ang season natin ngayon, susceptible to fire.”
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) on Monday said the fire broke out at the NAIA parking lot around 1:35 p.m. A fire-out was declared at around 2:03 p.m.
MIAA spokesperson Atty. Chris Bendijo has urged the owners of the burned cars to contact the Authority. Only four owners have come forward as of Tuesday morning.
“They may come to my office at the MIAA admin building so we can assist in communicating with the car park operator,” said Bendijo.
The fire came amid the dangerous heat index levels in some parts of the country.
The heat index in some areas may rise to 42°C to 45°C, according to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration./PN
