BAGUIO CITY: More than 1,700 vendors were displaced and over P24 million worth of private and public property was estimated to have been lost after a 4-hour fire gutted parts of the city public market here over the weekend.

The fire reportedly started at the extension area of the city market's Block 4 around 11 p.m, on Saturday, March 11, and immediately spread toward the Block 3 area before it was declared fire out on Sunday morning.

The local government is looking for a feasible relocation site where the displaced vendors will be able to continue their regular vending activities after the fire.

The Cordillera office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the City Social Welfare and Development office are conducting a registration of the affected vendors for the provision of financial assistance from the government.

Initially, the city is eyeing several roads in the city as possible vending areas for the vendors.

The local government wants to undertake the development of the city public market through a public-private partnership pursuant to an ordinance passed in 2017.

Projected cost of the development of the city public market is around P6.4 billion for a 3-hectare market area.