CEBU CITY (2nd update, 12:09 p.m.) -- For about 12 hours, firefighters continue fighting a blaze that gutted an eight-storey shopping mall in downtown Cebu City early Friday.
The fire started at 12:42 a.m. at the second floor of the Gaisano Capital South mall at the corner of Leon Kilat and Colon streets here, said Cebu City fire marshal Aderson Comar.
A mall security guard said he heard a loud explosion before the fire.
At least 30 fire trucks from different municipalities in Cebu province have responded to the fire scene but fire officers are having difficulty containing fire due to thick smoke bellowing from small openings of the mall.
The blaze has reached a general alarm, said Comar.
The cause of the fire and the amount of damage is still unknown as firefighters continue its operation.
The fire broke out just as the mall, which also houses its corporate center, was to have its mall-wide Christmas sale.
At least a thousand employees are feared to lose their jobs due to the fire. (Sunnex)
