According to Senior Inspector Renante Batchine of the Bocaue Fire Department, one of the casualties was charred beyond recognition due to the ensuing fire that was raised up to the fourth alarm which meant that firetrucks from nearby municipalities were also called-in before it was finally declared under control at around 12:30 p.m.
The fatalities were identified as store owner Gina Gonzales and former village chief Manuel Ayala. Gonzales was identified through her jewelry – a ring and a watch.
Batchine said the injured persons were rushed to nearby hospitals.
Hours after the initial big explosion, several more were still heard preventing firemen and first responders from immediately entering the building.
Batchine said the explosion happened in fireworks store in the vicinity of a commercial area but the fire quickly spread to three other adjoining pyrotechnics store and a pyrotechnics warehouse.
The fire chief said a post from one of the stores was thrown about 50 meters from the site of the blast. Several other establishments were also affected by the explosion.
Mayor Joni Villanueva-Tugna said the busy MacArthur Highway had to be closed to traffic for several hours due to the magnitude of the explosion which caused at least seven vehicles to be scattered on the highway, including a closed van that was blown away before it lay on its side, a truck that was also blown away, a jeepney that sustained significant fire damage, a totally burned tricycle and a Hyundai Starex van that was also gutted by fire.
Tugna said only ambulances and emergency vehicles were allowed into the blast site but after several hours, one lane of the MacArthur Highway was already opened to traffic.
The mayor said the explosion was so big that it even took out what she described as “a rice mill store” across the highway in front of the fireworks stores. She added that around 60-meter radius from the explosion site was affected by the blast.
Fire authorities said they are still trying to determine the cause of the explosion as arson investigators from Camp Crame were set to conduct an investigation on Thursday.
