3-hour fire burns Home & Plus

Two firefighters approach the fire scene as thick black smoke covered the area during the three-hour blaze at Home & Plus Department Store in San Antonio yesterday morning. Inset, a firefighter sprays water on an area at the Home & Plus Department Store. The blaze was placed under control after three hours. (Derek Gersonde)

A three-hour fire engulfed yesterday morning the Home & Plus Department Store in San Antonio, which has just opened for business last November.

No one was injured in the blaze that was reported to the Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services at 6:28am, according to DFEMS spokesman Derek Gersonde.

As this developed, a bush fire burned acres of vegetation at Wireless Ridge in Capital Hill on Sunday. DFEMS is expected to release details about the fire today, Tuesday.

The San Antonio fire snarled traffic for a couple of hours in the vicinity as thick black smoke covered both lanes of Beach Road.

“Due to complexity of the fuel source, the cause of the fire is still undetermined and pending further investigation by the Arson Investigation Unit,” Gersonde said.

Home & Plus Department Store is located on the ground floor of the three-story commercial Afetnas Square Building, which used to hold the office of the CNMI Department of Labor and Immigration.

Witnesses told Saipan Tribune that no one was inside when the fire broke out as the store was closed at that time.

Gersonde said at 6:29am, firefighters and medics from Susupe, Koberville, Kagman, and Garapan Fire Stations responded.

The Commonwealth Ports Authority-Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting assisted DFEMS firefighters with the use of their water tanker.

DKK Corp. and Saipan Ice also helped by providing 2,000 gallons and 1,500 gallons of water, respectively.

Gersonde said the fire was under control at 9:21am.

Gersonde said Arson Investigation Unit determined that the building is a three-story commercial building with multiple businesses.

Investigation showed that the fire’s point of origin was from the northern portion of the building.

Heavy and moderate smoke and heat damage were found on the northern part of the building.

Firefighters were able to stop the spread of the fire by extinguishing the flames in the northern end of the department store.

Fire did not spread to AJ Poker Game located beside Home & Plus Department Store. Six commercial units, including one previously occupied by City Trust Bank, were converted to a big Home & Plus Department Store.

Ho Jin Yoon owns Home and Plus. He also owns San Jose Mart, 99 Cents Supermarket, and Payless Supermarket.

Saipan Tribune learned that Yoon leased the entire three-story building. Yoon is said to be relocating to the building his Payless Supermarket in Chalan Kanoa.

Last Feb. 13, fire of unknown cause broke out at one of the rooms of Capital Hotel in Garapan.

Last Feb. 11, a 3-year-old boy was injured during a fire that broke out at an apartment in Susupe.

Last Jan. 20, a car caught fire in front of Mount Carmel School in Chalan Kanoa, while another fire broke out at a shipping container at the old dumpsite in Puerto Rico.