45 houses destroyed as fire hits slum area in Pasay City

About 45 houses burned down in a fire that razed a community of informal settlers on St. Joseph Merville Access Road in Kalayaan Village, Pasay City.

According to Senior Fire Officer 2 Bernardo Bermejo of the Pasay City Fire Department, the blaze started at 6:35 p.m. on Saturday and reached the fifth alarm nearly an hour later.

The huge fire prompted the  city fire department to ask for help from the nearby cities of  Mandaluyong, Makati, Taguig, Parañaque, Muntinlupa and Las Piñas which sent reinforcements.

The blaze was declared under control at 12:44 a.m. yesterday.

Bermejo said no one was reported hurt or killed during the fire although arsonist investigators have yet to determine what caused it.