FIVE people have perished in a raging inferno that tore through the historic Waterfront Manila Pavilion hotel and casino complex in Manila, authorities said Monday, after firefighters battled more than 24 hours to douse the flames.
Rescuers said billowing smoke, sometimes so dense it obscured the 22-story hotel, had hampered their efforts to contain the blaze that started Sunday morning.
The dead were all casino employees, and another worker was still in critical condition. About 20 people were injured.
Some 300 guests and staff were evacuated safely, hotel and fire officials told a press conference.
“We are hoping no one was left behind in the rooms. Our firefighters have not yet gone up all parts of the building,” Metropolitan Manila Development Authority acting chief Jojo Garcia said.
Some firefighters were treated after inhaling the dense smoke, which shrouded the chaotic scene on Sunday.
“The smoke was so big, so you can just imagine, there was zero visibility and our firefighters had difficulty breathing. Even outside the building there was zero visibility and it was much harder to operate inside,” Manila district fire marshal Jonas Silvano told radio dzBB.
DoLE orders probe
The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) will look into the fire incident to determine responsibility and find out if the establishment complied with occupational safety and health standards.
Labor Undersecretary Jacinto Paras said on Monday Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd had ordered the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Center to send an investigating team.
“The employer, Waterfront Hotel, is mandated by law to maintain occupational safety to its workplace and if the fire was due to unsafe and unhealthy workplace, the DoLE is supposed to file the proper charges if warranted,” said Paras.
Paras also said the DoLE National Capital Region office was instructed to make an inventory and assessment of hotel workers and employees for whatever assistance the department might provide.
Paras said a bicameral congressional panel was set to approve a bill that would require employers to ensure that all workplaces were safe and healthy for workers.
Deadly fires
Deadly blazes break out regularly in the Philippines, particularly in slum areas where there are virtually no safety standards.
The deadliest in recent years was in Valenzuela City where 72 people died in 2015 at the Kentex factory that makes rubber sandals.
But more modern buildings have also gone up in huge, deadly blazes.
In December, 38 people died in a fire at the four-story New City Commercial Center shopping mall in the southern city of Davao.
with AFP