Man, pet dog die in Malabon fire

MANILA, Philippines — A 73-year-old man and his pet dog died in a fire that broke out at a slum area in Malabon on Thursday afternoon.

The charred remains of Norberto Oxima, his dog in his arms, was found within the razed compound, according to SFO2 Kirby Banglos of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)’s Malabon office.

“He was able to escape but went back to his house to fetch his dog,” he said in Filipino.

Gener Verona, 71, sustained scratches on his feet when he climbed a wall with barbed wire to avoid the fire.

The blaze, which destroyed 75 houses along Mabolo street in Barangay Maysilo, started before 5:30 p.m. and reached second alarm at around 5:40 p.m.

Nine BFP fire trucks and 30 others from volunteer groups worked to put out the fire, which was extinguished at around 7:21 p.m.

The fire left 100 families homeless. They sought shelter at the Maysilo Elementary School.

The BFP estimated the damage caused by the fire at P300,000.

Authorities have yet to determine what caused the blaze. Banglos noted that the area used illegal electricity connections.