Smoke from a fire fueled by rubber and chemicals billows
from the Kentex footwear factory as firefighters work to bring it under control
in Valenzuela city, a northern suburb of Manila, the Philippines, Wednesday,
May 13, 2015. No survivors were found, officials said. (AP)
MAY 14, 2015
MANILA, PHILIPPINES
Police will open a criminal investigation into a Philippines
factory fire that killed at least 72 workers who became trapped in the building's
second floor, where iron grills on windows prevented their escape, a victims'
relative said Thursday.
All bodies were believed to have been retrieved from the
gutted two-story Kentex Manufacturing Corp. rubber slipper factory, a day after
the fire raged for over five hours in the outskirts of the capital, Manila,
said Valenzuela city police chief Rhoderick Armamento.
The focus shifted to identifying the bodies and
investigating the cause of the blaze, he said.
At a village hall, 69 bodies were lined up as relatives
wearing surgical masks streamed in batches to try to identify the charred
remains through jewelry or other personal items. Three other bodies found
earlier had already been identified.
Among the questions being raised is if the factory followed
fire and building safety standards.
Dionisio Candido, whose daughter, granddaughter,
sister-in-law and niece were among the missing, said iron grills reinforced
with fencing wire covered windows on the second floor that "could prevent
even cats from escaping."
He said he was allowed by authorities to enter the gutted
building, where he saw charred remains "piled on top of each other."
Local media reports quoted relatives as saying their kin
sent frantic text messages asking for help from second floor, but contact was
lost shortly after.
Police will file charges against "all those accountable
and those at fault," said police Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina.
Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said the city's fire marshal
and two other fire department officers were relieved.
One of them, fire marshal Mel Jose Lagan, had earlier told
reporters that arson investigators will look into why the people were unable to
escape from the second floor when there was a "sufficient exit" that
includes a wide stairway to the back of the building leading to the outside.
They will also look into whether there were more people inside the building
than allowed.
Iron grill bars on windows are common in offices, factories
and homes in the Philippines to keep away thieves. In workplaces or factories,
they are also meant to prevent employees from stealing equipment or products.
Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian said that a workers log book
was lost in the fire and the foreman was among the dead, making it difficult to
determine how many were inside the factory at the time.
Gatchalian said the fire was apparently ignited by sparks
from welding work at the factory's main entrance, triggering an explosion of
the chemicals used to make the slippers. Workers fled to the second floor where
they were trapped, he said.
District Fire Marshal Wilberto Rico Neil Kwan Tiu said that
the building had other exits but apparently the workers were overwhelmed by the
thick black smoke from the burning rubber and chemicals, which are highly
flammable and caused the blaze to spread quickly.
Source:ap.com