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Fire hits Gaisano mall in Cebu
(Updated 9:47 a.m.) Amid the Christmas shopping rush, a fire of undetermined origin hit a major mall in Cebu City early Friday morning.
The fire hit the Gaisano South Mall in Cebu, according to a report on dzBB radio. 
According to GMA News TV’s “News To Go,” the fire has been ongoing for about eight hours.
Youscooper Raffy Alvarez submits this photo of Gaisano Mall in Cebu which caught fire two days before Christmas.
A separate report on Visayas-based Bombo Radyo said the fire started at about 12:45 a.m. but had reached Task Force Alpha. In his report, GMA Cebu’s Nikko Sereno said the Bureau of Fire Protection received the fire alarm at midnight, after a sighting of smoke on one part of Gaisano Capital South Mall.
The guards on duty that night also said they heard an explosion inside the establishment.
The firemen suspect that the fire came from the engine and delivery and stock rooms of the mall, which they could not get into because it was already 140 degrees Celsius inside.
Fire trucks from neighboring municipalities have trooped to the mall to help in fighting the fire. They have also broken the glass entrance and windows to allow the smoke to get out.
According to Bombo Radyo, firefighters had a hard time battling the blaze because of the thick smoke coming from the mall's storage area.
Several passenger jeeps in the area were stranded due to the zero-visibility conditions caused by the smoke from the mall.
Patrons of a fast-food outlet across the street were asked to leave because of the smoke.
No one was initially reported injured in the fire, even as firefighters rushed to the scene to put it out.
The mall had earlier scheduled a Christmas midnight sale Friday night, said Bombo Radyo. –With Rose-An Dioquino/KG, GMA News
