The popular theme park Star City in Pasay was engulfed in flames after a fire broke out after midnight on October 2. The damage has led to its closure this Christmas season.
Massive fire
According to Pasay City fire authorities, the fire started at around 12:20 AM on Wednesday. In an interview with ABS CBN News, Pasay City Fire Marshall Paul Pilli said that the blaze started in one of the stockrooms located on the park’s main building. The stockroom is where the assorted prizes and stuffed toys were kept.
The fire was elevated to Task Force Bravo two hours later. This required 19 fire trucks to be dispatched from nearby stations. Authorities declared it under control at around 4:40 AM. It was expected to be fully extinguished four hours later.
Pili said that 80% of the main building was destroyed in the blaze. This included indoor attractions like the Star Theater and Snow World. The roof of the latter collapsed due to the heat while the former was damaged beyond repair. The fire marshall, however, said that rides located outside of the main building were left mostly undamaged. There were also no reports of casualties.
Investigators are currently looking at faulty electrical wiring as the main cause of the fire. However, the Bureau of Fire Protection said they are not discounting the possibility of arson after ballet dancer Lisa Macuja showed them an alleged tweet stating that “Star City will die/” Macuja is the wife of Star City owner Fred Elizalde.
Christmas favorite
Opening in 1991, Star City has become one of the prominent amusement parks in the country. It covers an area of 35,000 square meters within the Cultural Center of the Philippines complex. While the park has outdoor rides, 70% of its attractions are housed in air-conditioned buildings, with the main building containing a significant number.
Since its opening, the park has been a popular destination for families and groups during the Christmas season. It is estimated that around 80,000 people visit the park during the holidays. Star City spokesperson Rudolph Jularbal said that they will not open this season due to the damage brought by the fire. He stated that they might reopen sometime in October 2020.
Other damages
Aside from Star City, a portion of the Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC) building was also damaged in the blaze. The damaged sections housed some of its radio and television broadcasting facilities.
MBC later released a statement stating that its main AM radio station DZRH will resume broadcast within 48 hours. On the other hand, its FM stations, including Love FM, Yes FM, and Easy Rock, were not severely affected. The company adds that it is coordinating with authorities to determine the cause of the blaze.