5 injured after fire hits Alabang mall

At least five people were injured after a fire hit a shopping mall in Alabang, Muntinlupa City before dawn on Saturday.

The initial property damage estimate was P100 million, according to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).

The BFP raised the first alarm at 3:40 a.m., then the second alarm at 4:03 a.m.,  the Muntinlupa City Department of Disaster Resilience and Management said.

The third alarm was announced at 4:49 a.m.

The fire was still ongoing as of past 7 a.m., and the BFP raised the fifth alarm at 7:13 a.m.

The fire was at Task Force Alpha as of 10 a.m. It was declared under control at 7:03 p.m.

BFP firemen, fire volunteers, and even personnel of a water concessionaire joined hands to help put out the fire, according to a report by Mao dela Cruz on Dobol B TV.

Firemen used the Alabang viaduct to train their water hoses on the upper portion of the mall.

Traffic enforcers were at the site to assist motorists and prevent traffic buildup.

Authorities were having difficulties extinguishing the fire because it was made of light and combustible materials, according to John Consulta's "24 Oras Weekend" report on Saturday.

“Ang advise po sa amin huwag po munang papasok kasi po delikado pa po sa loob masyado pong mausok, wala po kaming kikitain ngayon at tigil po ang operation kaya malaki po ang epekto nito sa amin,” Odessa Completo, an entrepreneur, said.

(We were advised not to enter because it is still dangerous inside. It is very smoky. We have nothing to earn now because our operations stopped, so it will have a big effect on us.)

“Bawal pa po pumasok kasi po sobrang laki ng sunog sa loob kaya naghihintay pa kami ng update kung papasukin kami,” another woman said.

(We were not allowed to enter because the fire was too big inside, so we are still waiting for an update on whether we are allowed to enter.)

Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the fire.

GMA News is trying to get the side of the mall management. — with a report from Richa Noriega/KG/VBL, GMA News