1,000 families lose homes, 2 hurt in Mandaluyong fire

MANILA, Philippines — At least 1,000 families have lost their homes in a fire that engulfed a residential area in Mandaluyong City, Wednesday afternoon.

Senior Supt. Samuel Tadeo, the Eastern Manila district fire marshal, said that the fire along Block 32, Molave Street in Barangay Addition Hills was reported to them at 2:10 p.m. and reached the general alarm status two hours later. The general alarm status calls for all firefighters to proceed to the area.

Tadeo said that the fire quickly spread through the neighborhood because there was a strong breeze and the houses were made of light materials and were built close together. He added that fire trucks also had a hard time quelling the fire because of the narrow streets and the lack of fire hydrants in the area.

As of this posting, the fire official said that they were still determining the cause and cost of the fire that produced a massive plume of black smoke that was seen in neighboring cities. He said nobody died in the fire, but two residents suffered cuts in their effort to escape the fire.

The affected families will temporarily stay in at least five evacuation centers in the city.  SFM