Fire hits squatters’ area in Quezon City

MANILA, Philippines — Hundreds of families were displaced after a fire gutted a squatters’ area in Quezon City before dawn Wednesday, an officer from the National Capital Region Bureau of Fire Protection said.

Some 100 homes were destroyed by the blaze at Barangay (village) Escopa 2, Project 4, Quezon City at past 2 a.m., said Senior Officer 3 Sheila Balaba.

She said the fire reached fifth alarm, prompting the Quezon City Fire Department to send in roughly 20 firetrucks to the area.

It took firefighters about three hours before declaring fire out at 5:30 a.m., said Balaba.

She said that no one was reportedly hurt.

The estimated amount of damage has yet to be determined, said Balaba.