A massive blaze at an overcrowded slum in the Philippines capital of Manila, has left at least 15,000 people homeless.
The fire swept through the shanty town after breaking out in the Parola Compound near the city’s port late Tuesday night. It raged for 10 hours into Wednesday morning, according to authorities cited by Reuters.
Hundreds of firefighters fought to contain the flames. Seven people were injured in the rapidly-spreading blaze, according to fire officer Edilberto Cruz.
The houses in that place are all (made of) light materials. That is why the fire was quick to spread. We are just lucky that no-one was killed, he said, as reported by AFP.
Those affected by the blaze have been evacuated and sheltered in temporary accommodation. Photos from the scene show residents fleeing the flames while carrying possessions including refrigerators, TVs and washing machines.
Images taken in the immediate aftermath to the blaze was extinguished show the scale of the devastation.
Meanwhile, the Philippines Red Cross was responding to a number of fires in other districts of Manila on Wednesday.
Ambulances and fire tenders have been deployed to Malabon, part of Metro Manila, 8km (5 miles) from the Tondo region, as firefighters tackle a blaze in a residential area.
The incidents comes a week after a huge industrial fire at a factory south of the capital claimed the life of one worker and injured more than a 100.
Fires are common in factories and shanty towns in Manila, one of the most populated cities in the world.
Last year 1,000 homes in Manila`s Tondo slum district were gutted after firecrackers released to celebrate the New Year set a hut ablaze, sparking a raging fire.
One man was killed and hundreds injured in the incident.
Original article with video
Photo: Residents look on as a fire destroys hundreds of houses at a people`s-settlement settler community in Delpan, Tondo, Manila. Source: Noel Celis / AFP.
| Themes |
| • Homeless • Informal settlements • Local • Urban planning |
