A portion of Maresca Building in Valencia Street and Puerto Princesa City Public Market was caught on a 12-hour fire June 11, Wednesday.

According to reports, the fire started around 11:05 in the evening and lasted until 11 the following morning, June 12 Thursday. Initial investigation showed that P25 M worth of property was destroyed and may increase as investigation continues.

Authorities reported that almost 30 percent of the old public market was destroyed including the Muslim section and portion of Malvar Street. Syoti Marketing, Maresca Market Mall, and stalls along Bonoan Road were totally set out on fire while part of Mercury Drug in Valencia Street was damaged.

According to the City Fire Department, the cause of the fire may be electrical in nature. The fire department is considering the angle of appliance overload or overheat. They added that the incident lasted for such a long hour because establishments were closed which made it hard for the firemen to go inside the affected area.

Security guard of Maresca Market Mall said that around 11 in the evening, he smelled burning rubber inside the establishment and saw black smoke before the fire started.

As of this writing, the City Fire Department is still conducting further investigation on the area.