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Iron grills on the windows of the fire-hit slippers factory in Valenzuela City prevented the workers trapped inside from escaping, a co-worker said.Speaking to ABS-CBN News on Thu, May 14 night shift worker Robert Donato said he was asleep when fire erupted in the two-storey factory building of Kentex Manufacturing Inc. Wednesday noon.
He said, after being awakened, he and other witnesses immediately ran to the building to help the dozens of his co-workers trapped inside.
They, however, could no longer go near the building due to the massive fire, he said.
Donato said, from the glass windows on the building’s second floor, they saw some of his co-workers asking for help.
“Nakikita po namin humihingi po sa amin ng tulong, eh wala naman po kaming magawa (We saw them and they were asking us for help, but we couldn’t do anything),” he recalled. “Mga pangatlong bintana po siya, sa dulo (It was in the third window, near the back).”
“Nakahawak po [sila sa window grills], yung iba pa nga po halos masunog na (They were holding on to the window grills. There were some of them who were almost on fire),” he added.
He said iron grills on the windows prevented the trapped workers from getting out of the building.
“Kasi parang mga ano yan eh, yung window po nila [Kentex], pag binuksan niyo meron pa pong bakal na nakaharang (It’s like this, when you open the windown, there’s a steel grill),” he said.
Other witnesses confirmed that no one was able to get out of the burning factory through the windows. They said they saw only four workers jump from the roof.
According to Donato, aside from the main door and the backdoor, the windows were the only other way out for the trapped workers.
“Dalawa lang ho [ang daan], isa po diyan sa harap, isa po sa kabila… maliban po sa bintana kung sakaling mabubuksan niyo po (There were only two places where we knew to get out from. There’s one in the front and one on the other side…except ifthere’s also the windows if you can manage to open them),” he said.
A total of 72 people were confirmed killed in the blaze. Sixty-nine of the victims were on the factory building’s second floor.
Text: Jorge Cariño, ABS-CBN News / ABS-CBNnews.com
Photo: Dennis Datu, dzMM (Twitter)
This article has been re-published with permission from ABS-CBNnews.com.
