Fires leave 500 families homeless

At least 500 families in Makati and Quezon City saw their homes burn down yesterday.

At a shantytown in Barangay Bahay Toro, Quezon City, the firefighters who rushed to put out the fire nearly became casualties themselves.

Though there were 40 firetrucks sent to the site, only the smaller trucks were able to pass through a narrow alley leading to the site of the fire.

“The wind led the flames to our direction… Our smaller firetrucks that got in were almost trapped inside as they couldn’t get out because the bigger trucks were behind them,” Superintendent Oscar Villegas, commander of the Quezon City Fire District Station 1, said.

He said the fire started at past 12 noon and was finally put out at 3 p.m. The flames destroyed around 100 shanties and left around 300 families homeless.

Villegas pegged the damage caused by the fire at around P5 million.

Arson investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the fire.

In Makati City, almost 200 families living in a residential compound lost their homes in an early morning fire.

No one was reported killed or hurt in the blaze at the Barokan Compound in Barangay Pio del Pilar.

Senior Fire Officer 1 Gerson Moncada said the fire started at around 3:38 a.m. at the house of Gregorio Gonzales.

Earlier, a fire also destroyed a portion of the Prudential Guarantee and Assurance Inc. (PGAI) building’s basement located in Legaspi Village, Barangay San Lorenzo, Makati City.

Reports said the blaze started at around midnight and was put out more than two hours later at around 2:25 a.m. before it could do much damage.

Moncada said an electric fan located at the maintenance quarters in the basement of the building supposedly overheated and caught fire.