Fire guts ‘60% to 70%’ of GenSan mall —BFP

The Bureau of Fire Protection estimated that about 60 to 70 percent of the Gaisano Mall in General Santos City was consumed by a fire that broke out following the magnitude-6.3 earthquake in Mindanao on Wednesday evening.

Interviewed on Dobol B sa News TV, Fire Chief Inspector Milo Manlabao, Fire Marshall of South Cotabato, said the blaze, which reached the fifth alarm, mostly consumed the first, second, and third floors of the mall's storage area, where there are portions of hardware and plastic wares.

Manlabao added that the second floor's flooring also collapsed on the first floor.

Authorities barricaded the unaffected areas for safety purposes, particularly Gaisano mall's new building.

Manlabao said they have already declared the fire to be under control, with the firefighters still conducting an overhaul at noon before declaring the incident as fire out.

Investigators have yet to announce the estimated damage of the blaze, Manlabao said.

There have been no reported injuries so far, he added. — Jamil Santos/MDM, GMA News