Fire hits DPWH office in Baguio; files damaged

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January 16, 2026 | 12:00am

BAGUIO CITY , Philippines  ­– A fire hit the office of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Cordilleras in this city yesterday.

Responding firefighters contained the blaze after a few minutes, but not before the fire damaged sensitive documents and equipment in a room where financial records were kept, according to Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong.

The DPWH central office confirmed the incident and gave assurance that the area has been secured.

Citing assessments conducted by the Bureau of Fire Protection, the agency said that only a small portion of the office was affected by the fire.

The incident drew public attention due to the nature of documents kept in the room including contracts and papers believed critical to ongoing and completed infrastructure projects in the Cordilleras.

DPWH-Cordillera officials said some documents have digital backups, but some may be difficult to or can no longer be recovered.

They said they would cooperate in the investigation that will be conducted into the incident. –  Rainier Allan Ronda