A large fire razes a shanty community in Manila as firefighters try to stop the flames from spreading. The fire was out within about two hours but over 900 homes were lost and thousands left homeless.
A large fire razed a shanty community in Manila on Tuesday afternoon, burning over 900 houses and displacing thousands of residents.
Residents immediately fled the burning shanties, carrying as many possessions as they could, while firefighters struggled to put out the flames.
[Gemma Torena, Fire Victim]:
"Of course it hurts. I don't care if we're robbed as long as we're safe."
Arson investigators say the flames came from a faulty appliance inside a resident's house.
The fire quickly spread to other nearby houses.
Edelina Omesillo, a mother of six, says she does not know what to do after almost all of her family's possessions were lost in the fire.
[Edelina Omesillo, Fire Victim]:
"We're hungry, afraid and wet. I'm afraid for my children's future as it may crumble."
Firefighters declared the fire under control two hours after it started.
No casualties have been reported, but dozens suffered minor injuries.
Heavy traffic clogged one of the main thoroughfares of the city, as fire trucks and bystanders crowded the streets.
The local government has promised to provide immediate help to the thousands of victims.
[Jejomar Binay, Jr. Mayor, Makati City]:
"We're trying to set up a place so that they'll have a temporary shelter because it is difficult to split our resources. Some have stayed in the San Carlos Seminary. Some have stayed here in church."
A third of the Philippine population lives below the poverty line and most poor families live in makeshift shanties made of light materials on empty lots.
Fires are not uncommon under such conditions.
