Floodway residents lose newly rebuilt houses to fire

Around 80 families who had just rebuilt their houses after these were demolished by the Pasig City government ended up homeless again, this time due to an hour-long fire that broke out shortly before noon Monday.

The blaze was believed to have been caused by an unattended lit candle as residents on the West Bank Road near Manggahan floodway in Barangay (village) Rosario had no source of electricity, case investigator Fire Officer 1 Marcel Magsayo said.

No one was reported hurt in the fire, which started in the house of Arnel Benebente at 11:50 a.m. and reached the third alarm.

The flames spread to 50 other houses before it was put out by firefighters at 1 p.m.

According to the victims, there were children playing in Benebente’s house when the fire broke out.

Several adults immediately rushed into the house and herded all the children out before the flames got bigger.

Magsayo said the fire spread quickly because the houses in the area were made of light and combustible materials. It was also fanned by a brisk breeze.

Authorities placed the damage to property at P200,000.

Magsayo said that only recently, the city government demolished the houses in the area because the structures were blocking the waterway.

However, the residents returned to the area and rebuilt their houses.

Magsayo said he was not sure if the government would allow the displaced families to live in the area again.