600 families homeless in Tondo fire

MANILA, Philippines — A fire broke out at a neighborhood composed mostly of shanties in Tondo, Manila on Thursday night, leaving at least 600 families homeless.

The blaze started on the second floor of Building 29 of the Aroma temporary housing compound in Barangay 105 at 10:34 p.m. on Thursday, according to an initial report from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).

 The fire reached third alarm at 11:19 p.m., prompting response from 24 fire trucks from the BFP and 49 others from volunteer groups.

 The Manila Fire District declared the blaze under control at 12:44 a.m. yesterday and out at 5:26 a.m.

The BFP said 600 families or 1,800 people displaced by the fire are currently staying in nearby covered courts.

Volunteer firefighters Nilo Noque, 17, and Marky Villanueva, 30, sustained lacerations and punctures on their bodies, the BFP reported.

 The Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said its personnel treated a woman, 52, for a deep cut on her nose; a female, 23, who had convulsions, and a 20-year-old who had difficulty breathing.

 Meanwhile, a fire broke out at a four-story residential building in Barangay 120, Caloocan, yesterday, displacing at least four families.

According to the BFP, the fire started at around 6:11 a.m. and reached second alarm at 6:20 a.m. before it was put out more than an hour later.

The BFP estimated approximately P100,000 worth of damage from the fire, while no injuries were recorded.

Arson probers have yet to determine what caused the fire.