MANILA, Philippines — An overheated rice cooker may have caused a fire in Tondo, Manila on Tuesday.
Probers said the fire, which broke out at past 4 p.m., quickly spread throughout Dagupan Extension in Gagalangin.
“The person who left the rice cooker unattended went into hiding,” said Barangay 163 chairwoman Lourdes Gutierrez.
The Bureau of Fire Protection said up to 300 families were displaced.
According to the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, the blaze reached fifth alarm at 5:29 p.m. before it was put out at 8:59 p.m.