Fire razes MGM garment factory

A fire of still unknown cause—the second within the week—razed the MGM garment factory in Chalan Piao yesterday morning, resulting in the evacuation of over 200 workers.

No one was reported hurt as the factory was closed when the blaze broke out at 4:52am. Firefighters managed to control the flames at 3:30pm, Saipan Tribune learned.

Witnesses said an MGM guard that first noticed the fire ordered the workers to evacuate their barracks, located right next to the burning structure.

The workers, mostly Chinese, were then sleeping in their barracks on the second and third floors of the three-story building. They ran outside the compound and many were screaming as they hurriedly left their rooms.

Behind the barracks was the single story tin-roofed factory that went up in flames.

As of 11am yesterday, Department of Public Safety Fire Division acting deputy director Tom Manglona declared that 80 percent of the fire was already contained.

“Until both areas [south and north] are secured, that’s the only time we can say that the fire is under control,” Manglona told Saipan Tribune at the scene. The Fire division set up a command post across MGM’s main entrance.

Manglona said DPS received a call about the fire at 4:52am. After that, MGM security guards evacuated the 200-plus workers.

“Everybody is accounted for and no one was hurt,” said Manglona.

He said a major portion in the central part of the factory building was completely burned.

“We’re trying to control the exposure of the fuel that’s stored for the generators,” he said, adding that they also tried to ensure that some LPG tanks in the compound don’t catch fire. Some chemicals used for cleaning were not affected by the fire, he said.

Manglona said he couldn’t tell yet what started the blaze.

Based on the investigators’ initial assessment, the blaze started in the southern end or the production line of the factory. It immediately spread to other portions of the factory because of the clothing materials.

Manglona said there was no explosion.

As of 11am, Manglona said most of the fire was under control, but not completely yet.

“We’ve got two areas we’re working on—the southern and the northern ends,” he said.

He said the employees’ barracks only had exterior damage at the back side.

Obybur Rahman, an MGM security guard, said he was at the main entrance gate when he noticed smoke coming from inside the factory at about 4:45am.

Rahman said he immediately called police, went to the barracks and alerted the workers about the fire.

After a few minutes, the compound lost power, Rahman said.

He said he was the lone guard at the time in the main entrance. Two other guards were on other sides of the compound.

John Hirsh, executive director of the American Red Cross NMI Chapter, said 230 to 250 people living in the factory’s compound have been relocated to the United International Corp. garment factory’s housing area in San Antonio.

“Usually, when there is a major fire like this, our first role is to make sure that the victims or the people who have been affected by the fire are at least in a safe place,” he said.

Their next responsibility, Hirsh said, is to support the first responders.

Once things settle down a bit, Red Cross will be interviewing the family members and the workers on how they could be helped, he said.

“Right now, it is not clear exactly how much damage there was. We need to work with the fire department and determine exactly what was destroyed and how bad it was,” he said.

The Red Cross provided food and drinks to the responders. Hirsh said they will also be providing food to the affected workers.

Over 100 first responders from different agencies were seen in the area. Aside from DPS and Commonwealth Ports Authority firefighters, there were also police officers and personnel from the Emergency Management Office, American Red Cross, Division of Environmental Quality, and Department of Public Works.

Police officers rerouted the traffic flow in the vicinity of the factory.

On Monday afternoon, fire burned the entire second floor of a commercial building in Garapan, rendering 24 to 27 people homeless. Fire investigators determined that faulty electrical wiring caused the blaze.