By: Francis Allan L. Angelo
A TOTAL of 276 stalls went up in smoke after a fire hit Kalibo Public Market in Aklan past 12 a.m. Sunday.
Most of the affected stalls were grocery stores, lumpia wrapper makers, restaurants, pasalubong stores, rice vendors, ukay-ukay or second-hand clothing vendors, money changer, among others.
Witnesses claimed that the fire erupted from the second floor of the market.
The fire spread quickly and fire fighters from the towns of New Washington, Altavas, Balete, Libacao, Numancia, Kalibo Airport, Tangalan, Ibajay, Malay, at Buruanga responded to quell the blaze.
The Bureau of Fire Protection of Kalibo was able to control the fire at around 4:25 a.m. Faulty electrical wiring is believed to be the cause of the blaze.
The Kalibo local government unit has declared a state of calamity in the aftermath of the fire.
The BFP continues to probe the incident.
