Firefighters use an extended truck ladder to reach the blaze as they try to put out the fire gutting the Starmall in Alabang, Muntinlupa City early morning Saturday, January 8. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, in a Twitter post, said the fire broke out past 3 a.m. and by 7:46 a.m. reached “Task Force Alpha.” The MMDA said “Task Force Alpha” means the fire requires several firetrucks. Reports said the local Department of Disaster Resilience and Management said responding local Bureau of Fire Protection raised the fire on 5th alarm at about 7 a.m. Starmall Alabang, a popular destination for mall-goers, is a five-story building located in the Alabang-Muntinlupa junction.
