Arson investigators are looking into the cause of the fire that left around 400 families homeless, and one person injured on Friday.
SFO4 Jan Joseph Jalique, arson investigator, said, however, that the angle of arson was “not given so much weight” in the fire that began in the house of Maritess Abanes on 16th St., Barangay 654, Pier 5, in Port Area at 8:35 p.m.
Jalique said this was because according to a barangay official, there was no talk of demolition to be conducted by the local government in the slum area, where informal settlers had been living for “more than 10 years.”
“That’s where the residents had their grandchildren already, on that government property. Although the angle is not discounted, I don’t give it that much weight,” Jalique said.
According to the arson investigator, he was giving more weight to “negligence” but had yet to determine what in particular caused the fire.
According to Jalique, the blaze which reached the Task Force Alpha took some time to be put out because of another fire earlier in Tondo.
A report to Supt. Jaime Ramirez, Manila fire marshall, said the Tondo fire started past 7 p.m. in the two-story house of Ricardo Cardinez on Tedoro St., Gagalangin.
Jalique said a candle left unattended was the possible cause of the fire based on information he got from some of the residents.
“Although, before I make that official, I need to get a formal statement first,” he said.
That blaze reached the third alarm and was put out at 8:50 p.m.
Ramirez said there were no reported injuries in the Tondo fire, which saw around 10 houses damaged and around 20 families homeless.
Damage to property was pegged at P200,000.
According to Jalique, responding firemen to the Port Area blaze also took time penetrating the affected area.
The fire in the Port Area was put out at 4:03 a.m., Saturday, or around eight hours after it started.
The report to Ramirez said around 200 houses—or property worth P6 million—were damaged in the fire.
Around 400 families were left homeless.