Star City fire not caused by arson —BFP

The fire that gutted the Star City amusement park in Pasay City was caused by faulty electrical wiring and not arson, a Bureau of Fire Protection spokesperson said Friday.

Fire Senior Superintendent Geranndie Agunos, BFP spokesperson, said this was the result of the investigation conducted by the Interagency Anti-Arson Task Force.

“Ayon sa investigation report, ang findings nila ay nagsimula sa ballast ng ilaw, electrical fire po at ang sunog ay hindi sinadya,” he said in an interview on Dobol B sa News TV.

He said the earlier statement of Pasay City Fire Marshall Superintendent Paul Pili that the fire was caused by arson was just the latter’s personal assessment.

“Actually, wala namang official report ang BFP at ‘yung mga nabanggit ng kawani ng BFP ay kanila pong opinyon ayon sa kanilang pagkakaintindi. Subalit ang official statement ng BFP sa panahon na ‘yun ay iimbestigahan pa kaya nasa ilalim na ng jurisdiction ng national headquarters,” he said.

The management of Star City earlier disputed Pili’s statement, saying it does not know of any motive that would spur anyone to deliberately set the amusement park on fire. 

“We are not aware of any motive, including financial gain, that would induce the commission of arson specially on the part of Star City as the business is profitable and a bumper Christmas Season was expected,” the management said in a statement

It also said it was “inappropriate” for the BFP to inform the media of their findings before speaking to the management.

Around 80% to 90% of the Star City compound, including the Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC) building and Aliw Theater, was damaged by the fire last October 2. —Amita O. Legaspi/KBK, GMA News