A very intense Valenzuela City warehouse fire has escalated to Task Force Alpha, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) fighting the blaze said Thursday.

High as the intensity of the inferno that engulfed the warehouse along G. Molino St. Bagbaguin, Valenzuela City, prompted the declaration of Task Force Alpha, which is equivalent to the sixth alarm.

This announcement was made at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, with 25 firetrucks actively engaged in combating the fire.

BFP personnel have identified the warehouse as belonging to Herco Trading, serving as a distribution depot for Handy Man and Lazada.

The fire originally ignited at approximately 12:30 p.m. By 12:32 p.m., the second alarm was sounded, and within twenty minutes, at 12:52 p.m., the fire had rapidly spread, necessitating the raising of alarms to the fourth and fifth levels.

As of this current update on Thursday, the BFP has not yet declared the fire to be under control.

(Benjamin Cuaresma/ai/mnm)