2 dead in fire at Cagayan de Oro art gallery

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines – Two persons died in a fire that hit an art gallery housed in Capitol University (CU) in this city late Monday morning, August 7.

The victims were identified as Bryan Solarte and Dave Martin Ramoga, both residents of Barangay Lapasan. Both were working as construction painters hired by the school.

“They (victims) were doing some renovations at the gallery when the fire happened,” said Nicolas Aca, the gallery curator at CU’s Museum of Three Cultures.

Aca said some paintings were damaged due to the fire, which was put out after around 30 minutes. A fire truck from the City Fire Department responded to the incident, while CU students also used the school’s fire extinguishers to help put out the blaze.

According to Dr Christian Caballes, Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) medico-legal officer, it was highly probable that both victims died from suffocation. There was no foul play involved, Caballes added.

“They suffocated then lost consciousness,” he said in an interview.

The two victims also suffered from third-degree burns. Their remains were identified from the identification cards found in their wallets.

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), meanwhile, has not yet released its official findings, but according to initial reports, the use of paint thinner may have caused the fire.

Aca said the workers were using paint thinner, a highly flammable chemical, to soften the wood tiles which they were about to remove. 

“Perhaps the fumes of the thinner filled the room and when they used a grinder, it sparked, igniting the fumes,” he said. 

Caballes also said it was not yet verified if the two victims had been smoking cigarettes prior to the incident.

Love Joy Presbitero, 24, a store attendant at the nearby canteen, said she heard a loud explosion prior to the fire.

“It (explosion) was so loud that the glass on the door shattered,” she said, adding that black smoke was seen coming out of the gallery a few minutes later.

“We were so scared we ran right away. We didn’t bring anything with us,” Presbitero said.

Ramoga’s partner, 23-year-old Shiela Marie Decina, said she could not believe that he was dead.

Decina, who is due to give birth in the 3rd week of August, said she depended on Ramoga for their livelihood.

Meanwhile, school officials have yet to issue a formal statement regarding the incident.

The CU administration has closed the museum to the public until further notice. – Rappler.com