Safe structures: Keeping buildings fire-free

WHEN summer approaches and temperatures start to soar, the number of fires occurring across the Philippines also rises. This is particularly true in March, which the government has designated as Fire Prevention Month for that reason.

It was in this month — March 18, to be exact — in 1996 that a fire struck Ozone Disco in Quezon City, killing 162 people. The crowd at the popular nightspot reportedly swelled to almost 400 people — well beyond the establishment's capacity — when the disaster happened.