MANILA, Philippines—A fire destroyed around P300,000 worth of property in Parañaque City on the last day of Fire Prevention Month, just two days after a huge fire displaced around 200 families in another part of the city.
A report reaching the Parañaque fire department said that the blaze began in the house of Monica Abenales on M. Rodriguez Extension in Barangay La Huerta at 11:05 a.m. It went on to destroy 10 houses, affecting 30 families.
“We still don’t know the cause of the fire, but we’re 50 percent leaning toward a short circuit,” Insp. Wilson Tana, the city’s head arson investigator, said.
According to Tana, Abenales’ son, Erwin, told investigators that the fire started in the ceiling.
The flames immediately spread to adjacent houses, at one point threatening the Parañaque City Jail which was “only 30 meters away,” according to Tana.
He added that this was one of the reasons they raised the alarm to Task Force Charlie only 20 minutes after the fire started.
The incident ended up causing heavy traffic on Coastal Road until it was placed under control at 12:20 p.m. and put out at 12:28 p.m.