Fire hits East Avenue Medical Center in QC

Tension hit at the East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City after a fire broke out in its conference room before dawn Wednesday, the second fire to hit a Metro Manila hospital in the last two days. Some patients lined up outside of the main building of the East Avenue Medical Center as firefighters tried to put out the fire. "As far as I can tell, there was no initial report of anyone hurt. Our priority is to keep [them safe]," Quezon City fire marshal Senior Superintendent Bobby Baruelo said in Filipino in an interview on dzBB radio. He said the fire started at 4:44 a.m. and was placed under control at 5:10 a.m., adding the city’s fire department is investigating what caused the blaze.

A separate report by dzBB's Manny Vargas said hospital personnel evacuated children, pregnant women and patients in the Intensive Care Unit on the hospital's third floor. Hospital personnel brought some patients with respiratory problems to another area in the medical facility to keep them away from the smoke. Some patients who were scared by the fire and smoke voluntarily went out of the main building, the report said. Dr. Emmanuel Bueno, the hospital's chief of staff for special concerns, ordered medical staff to make sure patients were safe. On Tuesday, fire of undetermined origin hit the South Superhighway Medical Center in Parañaque City. Tuesday's two-hour fire snarled traffic in the area and razed a vault containing cash for the 13th month pay of the hospital's 100 employees. Photojournalist Ali Vicoy of the Manila Bulletin was trapped at the hospital’s roof deck and was injured in the foot. Also, fire razed several houses in Caloocan City Tuesday night. Radio dzBB reported the fire in Purok 2 in Maypajo village started at 8:29 p.m. and reached the second alarm before firefighters put it out 20 minutes later. No one was initially reported injured in the fire. — LBG, GMANews.TV