Fire leaves 1,100 homeless in Manila

MANILA, Philippines — At least 1,100 people lost their homes when a fire razed a shantytown in Sta. Cruz, Manila on Wednesday afternoon.

The displaced residents sought shelter under the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) Recto station and the barangay covered court, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) reported.

Fire Officer 3 Hendrix Daguioan suffered second-degree burns in his left hand while resident Norjanah Bansil became dizzy, according to the BFP.

The blaze, which started at around 3:11 p.m., reached fifth alarm at around 3:46 p.m., the BFP-National Capital Region said.

Twenty BFP fire truck crews and 30 volunteer firefighter groups helped put out the fire. The BFP said firefighters found it difficult to get to the origin of the fire, which was located in a maze of shanties and narrow alleys in Barangay 310.

Manila Fire District chief Senior Supt. Christine Cula said the fire was put out just before 8 p.m.

The fire caused traffic jams along Recto Avenue and Quezon Boulevard service road as well as the closure of the LRT-2 Recto station. The station reopened yesterday.

The fire could have started from a computer shop that Barangay 310 captain Roland Gacula described as “on and off,” according to a report on News5.

Meanwhile, the LRT Line 1 (LRT-1) suffered a breakdown of its entire rail system due to an issue with one of its train sets during yesterday morning’s rush hour.

LRT-1 operator Light Rail Manila Corp. technicians fixed a malfunctioned train set that stopped at the Libertad station just before 7 a.m..

Train trips between Baclaran and Fernando Poe Jr. stations were restored at 7:43 a.m., according to the LRMC.