Fire engulfs Mulanay municipal offices, cause under investigation

By Rowena T. Cruz Municipal offices in Mulanay, Quezon, gutted by a blaze early Saturday morning, August 30. (Gelo Amisola) MULANAY, Que...

By Rowena T. Cruz

Municipal offices in Mulanay, Quezon, gutted by a blaze early Saturday morning, August 30. (Gelo Amisola)

MULANAY, Quezon — In the dead of night, a massive fire ripped through Mulanay, Quezon, gutting four municipal offices and summoning the town's mayor home from a retreat to manage the crisis. The blaze, which started around 2:00 AM, August 30, consumed the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), Public Information Office (PIO), Tourism Office, and Human Resources offices.

Councilor Gelo Amisola, the former head of the PIO, expressed his profound sadness over the loss. “Natupok lahat ng gamit sa PIO Office pati ang mga naipundar na mga camera, computer, mga ilaw at iba pang mga ginagamit para sa pangangalap ng mahahalagang impormasyon para sa aming bayan ay naging kwento nalang,” he said.



Amisola added that the PIO office was a significant part of his professional journey, where he was molded by his deep experiences and worked closely with Mayor Aris Aguirre. The fire, he lamented, turned all the equipment and important work into nothing but a memory.

Mayor Aris Aguirre, who was on a retreat in Quezon City, was notified of the incident at 2:30 AM and immediately returned to the municipality. He confirmed the total loss of the affected offices, which were situated to the left of the main municipal building. He clarified that the offices were separate structures and not part of the main municipal building itself.

"Nasunog po sa amin yung tourism office, yung Comelec office, pati yung information office po na 4PS po namin. At bahagyang nasunog po yung mga documents ng HR kasi yun ang kasunod na building, ang medyo nakakalungkot kasi may historical commission po namin. May mga documents po kami doon na kailangan po namin," he explained.

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) is currently investigating the cause of a fire that was officially declared out before 4:00 AM. Fire departments from neighboring towns provided assistance, and no injuries were reported in the blaze. Initial reports suggest the fire may have originated in the COMELEC office.

The mayor noted the significant loss of historical commission files and numerous COMELEC documents. He declined to speculate on the fire's origin, stating he would wait for the official results of the investigation to ensure accuracy. He also clarified that, at the time of the incident, there were no pending election protests that could be linked to the fire.

"Wala pong pending election protests, ayoko muna po sabihin ng additional na information, para masigurado po ako, hihintayin ko na lang po sasabihin ng investigation ng BSP." the Mayor said.

Mayor Aguirre expressed his gratitude to the fire departments and mayors of nearby municipalities, including Mayor Ralph Lim of San Andres, for their prompt assistance. In a statement to his constituents, he said they should not worry, as the local government would fix the situation as soon as possible.