Pasig Police: Fire at PSE building possibly caused by lit cigarette
MANILA, Philippines — Police said a discarded cigarette thrown at a trash can inside a comfort room could have caused the fire that broke out on the 26th floor of the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) Center building in Pasig City on Thursday morning, the Pasig City police said.
In a phone interview, Col. Moises Villaceran Jr., Pasig City police chief said several cigarette butts were found by arson investigators of the Bureau of Fire Protection inside a comfort room on the building’s 26th floor. Police said the trash can was filled with tissue paper.
“Sa loob ng comfort room, may nanigarilyo at iniwan ang cigarettes butts na nakasinde [Inside the comfort room, someone was smoking and left their their cigarettes lit]” Villaceron told .
The fire started at 9:30 a.m. and was declared fire out after 20 minutes, Villaceran said.
Employees of the PSE were evacuated from the building during the fire. Police said the employees returned to the building after the fire was extinguished, Villaceran said.
