Paint center, 150 houses destroyed in fires; 1 hurt

Two fires broke out Monday, leaving around 300 families homeless and destroying a still undetermined worth of paint products.

The first fire started at 10:50 a.m. in the Carter Paint Center located on the second floor of M-R Realty, a two-story commercial building, on Marcos Highway in Barangay (village) San Roque, Marikina City.

It took around 20 minutes before firefighters managed to put out the blaze, which reached the fourth alarm.

Except for two fire volunteers who fainted from the smell of paint fumes mixed with smoke, no one was reported hurt, arson investigator Senior Fire Officer 2 Noel Alarcon said in a phone interview.

“We have yet to assess the damage but all the products stored inside were destroyed by the fire,” Alarcon added.

The cause of the fire remains unknown as arson investigators have yet to examine the store’s electrical system.

In Manila, a 31-year-old woman was hurt after she fell while fleeing from her burning house in a community of informal settlers.

FO1 Louie Ebio of the Manila Fire District said that Lani Estil, whose right elbow was fractured, was taken to the Ospital ng Maynila for treatment.

Ebio told the Inquirer that the blaze started at 12:38 p.m. Monday on the second floor of a two-story house owned by Cecilia Pagador on Legarda Street in Sampaloc, near the Estero de San Miguel behind San Beda College.

The fire then spread to nearby houses, which were also made of light materials. Within minutes, it reached the fifth alarm as narrow alleys prevented firemen from coming closer.

Ebio said the fire, which destroyed around 150 houses, was put out around 2:20 p.m.