Guam Community College which owns the former Department of Public Health and Social Services building in Mangilao, confirmed it has not occupied the space in any way, in response to Guam News Network's inquiry into the contents that firefighters said fueled the Aug. 31 fire.
GCC Interim President Virginia Tudela said learning of the fire "concerned" officials, as the college plans to demolish the building to make way for a "modern" facility which will house GCC's nursing and "soon-to-be" paramedic programs simulations lab and DPHSS clinic.
"GCC has been looking forward to the future opportunity to transform this landmark property to include a central clinical campus for our nursing and allied health students, expanding their hands-on training opportunities while helping address the healthcare needs of our island community. We remain committed to this vision and to working closely with our government partners as more information becomes available regarding the condition of the facility," Tudela said.
She thanked the Guam Fire Department fire fighters and first responders who quickly responded and brought the fire under control.
It took GFD six hours to extinguish the flames. GFD Spokesperson Nick Garrido said on Tuesday, the "fire was suppressed due to the large fire load it did take time. Fire comprised of furniture, personal equipment and files."
He said the size of the structure and heavy smoke conditions throughout the building required GFD crews to "conduct extensive searches across multiple floors and rooms" to ensure no one was inside.
The cause of the fire has not been determined as the investigation is ongoing.
DPHSS vacated the Mangilao building in 2019. Before that, the facility housed the agency's administrative offices, Vital Statistics, auxiliary programs and Central Region Community Health Clinic.
Guam News Network posed several questions to DPHSS Director Theresa Arriola including if the contents in the facility belonged to the agency. A response was not received by the time of publication.