By Connie Calipay
CAMALIG, Albay – A fire has destroyed a public school building in Albay town, resulting in damage to property worth PHP11.4 million, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said on Wednesday.
In a press conference, BFP-Camalig fire officer F/Insp. Warren Orendain said there were no casualties or reported injuries during the fire at the Gabaldon Building of the Camalig North Central School (CNCS) in Salugan Camalig, Albay, past midnight on Tuesday.
“The fire spread quickly since the heritage building was primarily constructed of wood. Upon receiving the alert, I immediately dispatched our team to the CNCS. Given that the structure was made of light materials, we also contacted the Albay Electric Cooperative to cut off power to the burning building,” Orendain said.
The Gabaldon Building covered 869.56 square meters of land and was made of concrete blocks, wood flooring, and wood beams.
Orendain said the cause of the fire, which reached the second alarm before being controlled at 2:12 a.m., is still under investigation as of posting time.
“We are grateful that no one was injured in this incident,” he added.
Albay Schools Division Superintendent Nene Rosal-Merioles assured the public that they will provide the necessary support to CNCS.
“We have already prepared our disaster response plan, which has been submitted to the Department of Education Central Office. We will ensure that learning continues despite this crisis,” she said.
A total of 221 learners were affected, primarily from five Grade 5 classes and one Grade 6 class. Of the total affected students, 175 are in Grade 5, and 46 are in Grade 6.
Merioles expressed sadness over the loss of the cherished heritage school building.
“It is heartbreaking to lose a structure that has witnessed the hard work, commitment, and dedication of our teachers, as well as the efforts of our students from Camalig,” she said.
In a separate interview, elementary school principal Amelia Cordero said that Mayor Carlos Irwin Baldo has offered the Camalig Training Center as a temporary relocation site for the classes of the affected students.
“Actually, the mayor did propose using it as a classroom for Grade 5 learners, but we’re still in discussions with the parents to finalize this plan,” Cordero said. (with reports from Lily Nocomora and Princess Atule, OJTs/PNA)
