Firefighters spent about six hours extinguishing a blaze Monday at the former Department of Public Health and Social Services (DPHSS) building in Mangilao, and the cause remains under investigation.
The Guam Community College (GCC) owns the $5 million property which has remained vacant since DPHSS moved out in 2019 following an electrical fire. The Guam Fire Department (GFD) said that GCC staff were on scene.
According to GFD, the fire took time to extinguish because it was fueled by furniture, personal equipment and files inside the building.
"I don't have the exact amount at this time. In terms of the response, operations took approximately six hours. Due to the size of the structure and heavy smoke conditions throughout the building, crews had to conduct extensive searches across multiple floors and rooms to ensure no occupants remained inside," GFD Spokesperson Nick Garrido said.
Garrido said the building was unoccupied when the fire broke out.
The cause of the fire has not been determined.
A response from GCC regarding the fire and the damages to the building and its contents was not received by the time of publication.
