Posted by BCS on September 23, 2008
I woke up at probably around six in the morning and went about my morning routine to get myself ready for another day at the office. I must have slept very soundly the previous night that I was left totally unaware of what had been happening around me during the early hours of that day.
All I can remember is that as I was preparing myself to go to work, my father informed me that there was a fire going on near the church (Binondo Church) which was just a block away from where we lived.
Thinking of a possible photo-op, I took my camera with me, just in case.
The day was April 20, 2005.
Upon seeing the huge crowd of people gathered on the sidewalks, I sensed that something was still going on. So, I pulled my camera out from my bag, weaved my way through the crowd, and took several pictures of the burning building each time I would find a clearing.
Through it all, I never imagined how severe and tragic it was for the building’s occupants until I saw it on the evening news later that day.
Note: I tried looking for news articles about this in Philippine Daily Inquirer’s archives on the web, but somehow the date selection thingie there wouldn’t work. I also tried searching on Google from which I also found nothing (I guess I was right about the possibility of things going missing from the web). I did find something on Yahoo though… from the Co Kim Eh Rescue Foundation’s website to be more specific:
All I can remember is that as I was preparing myself to go to work, my father informed me that there was a fire going on near the church (Binondo Church) which was just a block away from where we lived.
Thinking of a possible photo-op, I took my camera with me, just in case.
The day was April 20, 2005.
Upon seeing the huge crowd of people gathered on the sidewalks, I sensed that something was still going on. So, I pulled my camera out from my bag, weaved my way through the crowd, and took several pictures of the burning building each time I would find a clearing.
Through it all, I never imagined how severe and tragic it was for the building’s occupants until I saw it on the evening news later that day.
Eliong Commercial building fire (April 19, 2005)
Eliong Commercial building fire (April 19, 2005)
5 dead, 4 missing in Binondo fireThis is how the building looks like now:
by Margaux Ortiz, Jean Bermudez
Phil. Daily Inquirer, Apr. 20, 2005
WHEN firemen managed to bring him to safety, away from the family’s burning building in Binondo, Manila, 25-year-old Elizalde Chua decided to go back and rescue his parents and siblings trapped inside.
He never made it back.
Elizalde’s body was the first to be recovered after a fire hit the Eliong Commercial building at No. 589 Quintin Paredes St. at 2:37 a.m. The fire was declared under control at 1:46 pm, almost 12 hours after it started.
Elizalde’s brother Edralin, 28, and Erika, 16, were recovered hours later by firemen at the third floor of the four-storey building.
FO1 Lords Hernandez of the Manila Fire Department said the body of an unidentified female helper was found on the second floor. Another body was discovered charred beyond recognition.
Fire officials said Elizalde’s parents, Ely, 58, and Tessie, 52, along with two other helpers, were still missing.
Two of the Chua family’s six helpers were, however, rescued a few hours after the fire began at 2:37 a.m. at the building’s ground floor.
Luisita Servales, 28, sustained third degree burns and was taken to the Philippine General Hospital for treatment.
Myrna Pesaro, 42, who was found at the rear portion of the building, sustained the least injuries of the survivors, with lacerations on both feet. She was rushed to the Metropolitan Hospital.
Hernandez explained that the fire took several hours to control because of the highly combustible goods inside the building.
“The Chua family sold plastic toys, which took a long time to burn,” Hernandez told the Inquirer.
The arson investigator also said that the “impenetrable” grills of the building prevented the firemen from entering the building with ease.
“We had to use a chainsaw to destroy the grills,” Hernandez said, adding that the fire exits of the building were also blocked with merchandise.
“It looked like the tenants made a choice between security or safety,” he added.
Manila Mayor Lito Atienza said he had given directives to his inspectors to make sure that all the buildings in the city were safe from possible fires.
“The building was relatively new compared to the other structures around it,” Atienza said.
“We still have to find out if the tragedy was caused by improper maintenance or the lack of exits,” the mayor added.
Some of Erika’s friends cried openly near the Binondo Church, passing around her framed picture. Relatives of the Chuas refused to talk to the media about the family or the incident.
The building in its current state (photo taken on September 21, 2008)
Posted in Events | Tagged: binondo, china town, eliong commercial building, fire, manila, quintin paredes street | Leave a Comment »
5 dead, 4 missing in Binondo fire by Margaux Ortiz, Jean Bermudez Phil. Daily Inquirer, Apr. 20, 2005  WHEN firemen managed to bring him to safety, away from the family's burning building in Binondo, Manila, 25-year-old Elizalde Chua decided to go back and rescue his parents and siblings trapped inside. He never made it back. Elizalde's body was the first to be recovered after a fire hit the Eliong Commercial building at No. 589 Quintin Paredes St. at 2:37 a.m. The fire was declared under control at 1:46 pm, almost 12 hours after it started. Elizalde's brother Edralin, 28, and Erika, 16, were recovered hours later by firemen at the third floor of the four-storey building. FO1 Lords Hernandez of the Manila Fire Department said the body of an unidentified female helper was found on the second floor. Another body was discovered charred beyond recognition. Fire officials said Elizalde's parents, Ely, 58, and Tessie, 52, along with two other helpers, were still missing. Two of the Chua family's six helpers were, however, rescued a few hours after the fire began at 2:37 a.m. at the building's ground floor. Luisita Servales, 28, sustained third degree burns and was taken to the Philippine General Hospital for treatment. Myrna Pesaro, 42, who was found at the rear portion of the building, sustained the least injuries of the survivors, with lacerations on both feet. She was rushed to the Metropolitan Hospital. Hernandez explained that the fire took several hours to control because of the highly combustible goods inside the building. "The Chua family sold plastic toys, which took a long time to burn," Hernandez told the Inquirer. The arson investigator also said that the "impenetrable" grills of the building prevented the firemen from entering the building with ease. "We had to use a chainsaw to destroy the grills," Hernandez said, adding that the fire exits of the building were also blocked with merchandise. "It looked like the tenants made a choice between security or safety," he added. Manila Mayor Lito Atienza said he had given directives to his inspectors to make sure that all the buildings in the city were safe from possible fires. "The building was relatively new compared to the other structures around it," Atienza said. "We still have to find out if the tragedy was caused by improper maintenance or the lack of exits," the mayor added. Some of Erika's friends cried openly near the Binondo Church, passing around her framed picture. Relatives of the Chuas refused to talk to the media about the family or the incident. 4 killed in 12-hour fire in Binondo Balita.org, Apr. 20, 2005 Four people were killed in a 12-hour fire that hit Eliong Commercial building on Quintin Paredes Street, Binondo, Manila Wednesday. Three of the fatalities were identified as Elizalde, Erica and Eli Chua. The fourth victim was burned beyond recognition and have yet to be identified. The fire started around 2 a.m., trapping the victims on the second floor of the five-storey building. The blaze was placed under control around 2 p.m. Two maids, identified as Myra Pezaro and Lucita Seriales, were earlier rescued by firefighters. Both suffered second and third degree burns. Supt. Pablito Cordeta, Manila Fire Department chief, said the fire started on the second floor of the building and reached the fifth alarm. He said the fire quickly spread to the other floors due to the large amount of highly flammable plastic merchandise stored in the building. Fire Marshall Arthur Que earlier said firefighters took three hours to remove some of the merchandise blocking the windows and fire exits. He added that some of the fire exits were too narrow and could not be used. Fire razes Binondo building Phil. Daily Inquirer, Apr. 20, 2005 A FIRE of unknown origin razed a building in Manila's Chinatown district early Wednesday morning, footage aired over GMA Network's "Unang Hirit" morning program showed. An entire family was trapped inside the burning five-storey commercial building near the corner of Ongpin and Quintin Paredes streets in Binondo, Manila near the historic Minor Basilica of San Lorenzo Ruiz, the report said. Two females were rescued from the blaze, which started at 2:35 a.m. Wednesday, after several firefighting units and volunteer fire brigades rushed the scene to contain the blaze. |
