The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) has sought help from the Tagbilaran City government in addressing the longstanding issue on widespread sale of refilled butane canisters which are prone to combustion.

According to Tagbilaran City fire marshal Chief Insp. Randy Mendaros, BFP personnel are not authorized to confiscate LPG-filled butane canisters or mete out sanctions against their sellers.

While there are no Department of Energy employees who are in Bohol at official capacity, Mendaros urged local government units to constantly monitor establishments that are likely to sell the product.

He suggested to have their business permits revoked and to shut down their operations.

According to Mendaros, this is the sole available measure to address the issue which could lead to fires particularly in boarding houses where students often make use of the cheap LPG-filled butane canisters.

Although there have been no reported cases of fire caused by butane canisters in Bohol so far, the city fire marshal reminded the public to be vigilant in preventing fire disasters.

However, there had been multiple fires in Cebu over the past year caused by the explosion of LPG-filled canisters which people continue to patronize for their convenience and affordability. (Allen Doydora)