2 dead, 20 hurt in Bocaue fireworks blaze

MANILA, Philippines – A series of explosions at a firecracker factory killed two people and injured 20 others in Bocaue, Bulacan yesterday.

Several others were reportedly missing in the ensuing blaze, including the owner of the establishment where the blasts were believed to have originated.

The cause of the explosions was not immediately known, police said.

The explosions were so powerful they caused a light truck to overturn.

Bocaue police chief Supt. Charlie Cabradilla said the explosions occurred at 10:45 a.m. at a firecracker establishment of Gina Gonzales on MacArthur Highway, Barangay Biñang 1st.

Charred remains of a woman were found at the blast site. The other fatality was identified as 65-year-old Manuel Ayala. 

The injured were brought to different hospitals in the province. 

Initial reports said the explosions and the ensuing fire damaged 10 commercial establishments and six vehicles, including an SUV and an Elf truck. The fire was put out at 1 p.m.

Cabradilla said the explosions left a stretch of MacArthur Highway littered with debris, prompting Bocaue Mayor Joni Villanueva-Tugna to order the closure of the road for more than two hours.

The accident also caused power outage in the town proper.

Cabradilla said further investigation would be conducted to determine the cause of the explosions.

Senior Supt. Romeo Caramat, Bulacan police provincial director, said the establishment destroyed by the blasts was near the road.

Pictures and video recording of the incident – which went viral on social media – showed debris scattered along the highway as sounds of exploding firecrackers could be heard in the background.

Bulacan Gov. Wilhelmino Alvarado said some establishments in Bocaue could be storing raw materials for firecrackers in preparation for a surge in demand during the Christmas and New Year holidays. Bocaue is considered the country’s firecracker capital.

Senior Insp. Renante Bachine, Bocaue Bureau of Fire Protection marshal, said the fire had reached the 4th alarm. They had no estimate yet of the damage, he said.

Mayor Tugna said firefighters and rescue teams from neighboring cities and municipalities helped in containing the fire.

All the fireworks establishments that went up in smoke were licensed, the mayor stressed.

The accident occurred just as stakeholders and the local government were discussing the possibility of setting up a so-called fireworks city.

Similar accidental explosions occurred in the town before the New Year’s Eve revelry 10 years ago, the mayor said.

Tugna said witnesses reported seeing smoke coming out of the establishment where the explosions were believed to have originated.

The mayor added heavy rain Tuesday night could have triggered spontaneous combustion.

Vimie Erese and Lea Alapide, president and past president of the Philippine Pyrotechnics Manufacturers and Dealers Association Inc., shared the mayor’s opinion.

They explained that local manufacturers prefer to use potassium chlorate, a cheaper but more volatile ingredient, over the higher priced but less volatile potassium perchlorate.

Spontaneous explosion, Erese and Lapide explained, usually takes place when pyrotechnic products come in contact with water, causing them to emit heat that could spark an explosion.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health (DOH) is drafting an executive order on imposing restrictions on the use of firecrackers in the coming holiday season.

In a press briefing, Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial said they were hoping that President Duterte would approve the draft EO and sign it before the end of October. 

“It will be on the limited use and possession of firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices in the  Philippines and a shift from individual household use to community fireworks display,” she said.

The DOH has long been pushing for a ban on the household use of firecrackers as part of the New Year revelry to minimize injuries and deaths from firecracker blasts. 

DOH records showed 929 individuals, mostly children, sustained firecracker injuries from Dec. 21, 2015 to Jan. 5, 2016. Most of the injuries were caused by piccolo, an illegal pyrotechnic designed for children. The figures were eight percent higher than the previous year’s record.

“The DOH has been firm in our position ever since the past administration that we would like to limit firecrackers and pyro-technics to trained professionals. We don’t want firecrackers to be available to the general public,” Ubial added. - With Ric Sapnu, Sheila Crisostomo