MANILA, Philippines (3rd UPDATE) – A fire hit a building under construction at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City around 7:30 pm on Thursday, June 28. "Fire out" was declared around 6 hours later, at 1:30 am on Friday, June 29.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) had announced in a tweet at 8:16 pm on Thursday that the blaze had already reached the 3rd alarm. This meant that up to 9 fire trucks should be deployed.
The Mandaluyong City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) then announced, also in a tweet, that the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Mandaluyong declared "fire out" as of 1:30 am.
No one has been reported hurt, so far. It is still unclear what caused the blaze.
SM Supermalls earlier said it was "taking all precautionary measures to ensure the safety of everyone" in the mall complex.
"Our Emergency Response Team together with the Bureau of Fire Protection are already managing the situation. Only a portion of the mall is affected by smoke coming from the site," added SM Supermalls.
The incident caused the temporary closure of the EDSA-Shaw service road on the northbound side, since it was reserved for fire trucks and other emergency response vehicles.
The MMDA advised all vehicles to take the Shaw tunnel instead.
– Rappler.com
