The Ombudsman has asked the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to investigate if arson or any other act was committed behind the fire that broke out in an office of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Quezon City on Wednesday.
The DPWH said that the Bureau of Research and Standards (BRS) building caught fire on Wednesday afternoon. Reports from the BFP said that the fire reached the third alarm before it was extinguished at 1:49 p.m.
‘The Ombudsman has directed the immediate coordination with the (NBI) and the (BFP) to determine the cause of the fire and to establish whether arson or any deliberate act was committed,’ Assistant Ombudsman and spokesperson Jose Dominic ‘Mico’ Clavano said in a statement.
In a separate statement, the DPWH said that initial findings revealed that the blaze originated from a computer unit inside the Materials Testing Division, and the device reportedly exploded.
DPWH said that ‘no documents related to the ongoing investigation into the flood control anomalies were in the Bureau of Research and Standards building.’ It noted that the BRS is responsible for conducting research, studies, pilot testing, and the formulation of policies for government infrastructure works.
The DPWH added that no personnel were harmed in the incident. /cb