Businesses thank responding firefighters with freebies after mall fire

MANILA, Philippines – How do you say thank you to your city’s heroes?

In General Santos City, several establishments thanked firefighters with free food, accommodation, and other services after they responded to a fire that hit their mall following a Magnitude 6.3 earthquake that struck parts of Mindanao on Wednesday night, October 16. (READ: IN PHOTOS: Mindanao earthquake’s trail of damage)

The fire engulfed the 3-story Gaisano shopping mall and was declared out at 1 pm on Thursday, October 17.

As a way of saying thank you to the brave firefighters in the region, Hotel Dolores Gensan offered free accommodation for 5 people.

Several establishments also offered free food and drinks to salute the courage of the firefighters, including those who came from Davao City. Among these were Farmboyph and Andro’s StreetFood Asia. 

Meanwhile, Humanitea gave free regular classic milktea to 50 firefighters and security personnel who calmly guided everyone to safety and helped contain the fire.

Firefighters in the area won’t have to worry about laundry, as Budz Laundry Hub offered free wash and dry services for their city’s firefighting heroes from October 17 to 18.

Following the fire, General Santos City Mayor Ronnel Rivera thanked firefighters from the Bureau of Fire Protection and other rescue and fire volunteers from private companies, nearby cities, and municipalities who helped put out the blaze.

He added that the earthquake was a reminder that a lot had to be done to improve the city’s disaster preparedness and resiliency against natural and man-made calamities.

He also encouraged business establishments to improve and update their building plans to ensure their structural integrity and stability, and strengthen their disaster preparedness plans for the safety and security of their personnel.

As of Thursday night, October 17, another fire struck the Gaisano mall in General Santos City. – Rappler.com