Fire razes Orient Pearl Arcade in Manila

MANILA, Philippines — A fire of still undetermined cause razed a four-story commercial building in Sampaloc, Manila before dawn yesterday.

The blaze started at the ground floor of the Orient Pearl Arcade, which was occupied by a printing firm, at the corner of Nicanor Reyes and C.M. Recto Boulevard at around 9:23 p.m. Wednesday, according to Manila fire marshal Jonas Silvano.

“Visibility was difficult and the firemen had to use a self-contained breathing apparatus and smoke ejector,” Silvano said.

The blaze spread upwards, engulfing the entire building, and reached third alarm several hours later.

The southbound lane of C.M. Recto Boulevard going to Divisoria was closed to accommodate the fire trucks, causing a traffic jam.

The fire was put out at arond 5:16 a.m. yesterday.

No one was reported injured and arson investigators have yet to come out with an estimate of the damage caused by the fire.