Fire hits UP Diliman Shopping Center
2ND ALARM. Fire razes the UP Diliman Shopping Center in Quezon City on March 8, 2018. Photo by Darren Langit/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines (4th UPDATE) – Fire hit a canteen located at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman Shopping Center, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said on Thursday morning, March 8.
According to the MMDA, the fire was on 2nd alarm as of 7:36 am Thursday.
FIRE ALERT : As of 7:36 AM at UP Shopping Center UP Diliman , Quezon City involving canteen now on 2nd alarm. BFP on site. #mmda
— Official MMDA (@MMDA) March 7, 2018
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) then declared fire out at 8:53 am.
Describing the fire as "very bad," UP Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Dalisay Jr said it spread throughout the shopping center's main building.
UP Shopping Center is on fire. Landbank and PNB safe so far but fire has spread throughout the main building itself. Very thick smoke. Am afraid the place is basically lost. It had been newly renovated. pic.twitter.com/3LSRSKzGNw
— Butch Dalisay (@penmanila) March 8, 2018
Here are more photos of the fire:
THE SHOPPING CENTER AT UP IS ON FIREpic.twitter.com/M621KwwK07
— John Jacob Ang (@JohnJacobAng) March 7, 2018
FIRE. Fire hits a canteen located at the UP Diliman Shopping Center. Photo courtesy of UP Vice President for Public Affairs Jose Dalisay Jr
According to the UP Diliman website, the Shopping Center "provides basic needs for students, faculties and employees" such as fast food, computer shops, and photocopying services, among others.
Thursday's fire was the 4th fire incident that occurred at UP Diliman in less than 3 years.
In June 2015, a fire hit the CASAA – another iconic canteen at the university – due to a gas tank leak. A month after, another fire burned the Alumni Center (also known as Fonacier Hall) to ashes.
Less than a year after, in April 2016, a fire engulfed the UP Faculty Center, a historic building that houses the offices of at least 250 faculty members. – Rappler.com
