Text, photos and video by VINCENT GO
A FIRE that hit the Ever Gotesco Grand Central Mall in Caloocan City late Friday evening continued to rage as of noon Saturday as thick smoke prevented firemen from entering the mall.
According to an unidentified mall guard on duty Friday night, the fire started at the Rusty Lopez boutique on the first level around 11 p.m. but spread rapidly because the sprinkler system failed to work.
Volunteer firefighters who first arrived at the scene had a hard time entering the structure due to thick smoke which required them to use gas masks with oxygen tanks.
The cause of the fire is still to be determined. As of press time, authorities have put the fire on Task Force Delta alarm level, which means the matter is now under the jurisdiction of the regional director of the Bureau of Fire Protection.
