Fire in slum in Philippines, 1,000 houses burned down

About 1,000 houses were destroyed in a fire in a slum in the Philippine capital Manila today, November 24, the Manila Fire Department announced.

A major fire broke out this morning, November 24, in the Isla Puting Bato residential area in Manila’s Tondo district, according to GMA News. The first alarm was issued at 8:02 a.m. (local time).

Flames and black smoke rise during a fire in the Isla Puting Bato residential area in the Tondo district of Manila, Philippines, on November 24.

The Manila Fire Department said about 1,000 homes were destroyed in the fire, which is believed to have started on the second floor of one of them, according to AFP. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Drone footage shared online by Manila’s disaster agency showed houses flattened in the Isla Puting Bato neighborhood, home to about 2,000 families, according to the Manila Fire Department.

Residents and firefighters work together to extinguish a fire in Isla Puting Bato area.

Local resident Leonila Abiertas, 65, lost almost all her possessions, but managed to save her late husband's ashes. "I only got the urn containing my husband's ashes. I really don't know how I can start my life again after this fire," Abiertas told AFP, weeping.

Many houses burned in Isla Puting Bato area on November 24.

Fire and disaster units deployed 36 trucks and four fire boats, while the air force sent two helicopters to help extinguish the blaze. "The area is prone to fires because most of the houses there are made of light materials," firefighter Geanelli Nunez told AFP.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chay-khu-o-chuot-o-philippines-1000-ngoi-nha-bi-thieu-rui-185241124141628571.htm