BFP rules city market fire as accidental; unattended cigarette embers identified as trigger

The Bureau of Fire Protection National Headquarters (BFP-NHQ) has concluded that the fire that hit the Baguio City public market last March 11, 2023 was triggered by the “embers of an unattended/discarded lighted cigarette that made contact with readily combustible materials at the bottom of the sack of clothes leading it to combust located the concrete column in the stall no. B 46.”

In a final investigation report, excerpts of which were relayed by City Fire Marshal Supt. Marisol Odiver to Mayor Benjamin Magalong in a letter dated June 14, 2023, the bureau said the conclusion was made based on the pieces of evidence gathered from the site as well as the statement of the witness and other circumstances surrounding the fact.

“After thorough examination of the facts of the case and the completed Fire Cause Determination and Analysis, this fire incident with Case Nr. BFB FAID-2023-MR-011 is recommended to be considered closed and solved for being accidental in nature, without prejudice to reopening of the case in circumstances that new pieces of evidence and/or a witness may surface in the future,” the report said.

The bureau said it eliminated other probable causes of fire including energized electrical conductors, appliance malfunction and/or machinery overheating, industrial hot works, open flame from cooking and lighted candles, frictions and mechanical sparks because “these common hazards did not exist in the area of fire origin at the time the fire incident occurred and supported with the result of electrical analysis, Electrical Report No. 2023-506-4598 released by Fire Laboratory Services dated 20 March 2023.”

It also identified the area where the fire “most probably originated” at the “ground of the concrete column, north corner of the Stall No. 46 located at Block 4 extension” or “ground level, single point fire origin traced within the proximity of 1.1 meters from the southeast wall.”

This was identified “after the methodical fire scene investigation, evaluation of the testimonies given by the witnesses and the technical/forensic analysis conducted on the grounds of the fire scene.”

The bureau further said investigation of the incident “was conducted using accepted standards of fire and arson investigation procedures with reference to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 921: Guide for Fire Explosion Investigations- 2021 Edition and other references of equal field study.”

“The completion of this Final Investigation Report shall be subject to the approval of the Office of the Fire Arson Investigation Division, BFP-NHQ who has jurisdiction of the case.” – Aileen P. Refuerzo