Independent power producer Delta P apologized Wednesday for the fire incident in its compound in Barangay Sta. Lourdes that caused total city blackout.
“We regret any inconvenience we have caused because of this [fire] incident and thank you for your patience,” Delta P plant manager Christopher R. Navarro said in his statement.
He said they worked “non-stop until sundown” on February 6 to ensure that one of their two plants will resume operation so Palaweños would not have to endure the night without power.
Navarro said the fire broke out around 10:55 a.m. in the oldest of their two power plants. It was swiftly contained by their plant operators and personnel using all available firefighting equipment at the site.
“The rapid actions of our team were all in accordance with stringent fire handling protocols and training. As a result, no one was injured during the incident and none of the surrounding areas of the plant were damaged,” he pointed out.
Navarro said “fire-out” was declared by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in the city at 11:49 a.m. on the same day. Power was restored at 5:09 p.m.
“An investigation on the cause of the fire is now underway,” he added.
Navarro said further that prior to the incident, Delta P already had 1.3 million man-hours without any incident. The recent fire was the first in over 10 years of their operations.
Meanwhile, the BFP said they are still investigating the cause of the fire.
However, fire marshal Senior Chief Inspector Nilo Caabay said Thursday that per their observation, there is an indication that it started in the engine room.
The good thing was that the personnel of Delta P are well-equipped with the knowledge and skills to handle such incident.
“Nagka-problema sa engine nila but hindi pa natin alam exactly kung ano ang dahilan. Sa level pa lang nila ay natugunan na nila. Nagresponde tayo para tumulong sa overhauling. Mainit sa loob at masakit sa ilong ang amoy dahil sa langis, pero noong nabuksan na ang taas medyo naging maayos na,” he explained.
