The San Francisco High School in Barangay Santo Cristo, Quezon City was gutted by fire a day before classes. According to the Bureau of Fire Protection, the two-story building is made of wood, which allowed the fire to spread quickly. It reached third alarm in just 15 minutes. No one was injured, but 20 classrooms, faculty offices, and the library were severely damaged.
Teachers were hurt after seeing the ashes of their office and equipment. According to Christian Tanggin of the Filipino Department, “Everything was on fire, even the room divisions, everything was gone.” The estimated damage is nearly P3 million, including 400 chairs, thousands of books, and computers.
Around 600 students in 8 classrooms on the second floor are affected. Classes will be temporarily moved to another building while the senior high school schedule is adjusted. According to Principal Dr. Marissa Rodriguez, there will be an assembly and flag ceremony at the covered court before the students are relocated to the DepEd A building.
DepEd provided assistance through the Quick Response Fund for the immediate repair of the facility. QC First District Rep. Arjo Atayde also visited and pledged support from his office and the local government. The BFP is still investigating the cause of the fire.
