200 Taguig families homeless after 3-hour fire; 2 hurt including fireman

At least 200 families went homeless after a three-hour fire hit a residential area near SM Aura in Taguig City on Wednesday evening.

Chief Insp. Ian Guerrero, the Bureau of Fire Protection Taguig Fire Marshall, said the fire which hit 50 houses made of light materials at Zone 7 Minipark in Fort Bonifacio started around 5:17 pm. It reached Task Force Alpha an hour after.

The fire was declared under control around 6:47 pm and put out around 8 p.m.

Guerrero said at least 50 houses were burnt down, resulting in around 1 million worth of damaged properties. Around 30 fire trucks responded to the incident, he added.

The BFP said the house could have started from a unit being occupied by one of the tenants of Luzviminda Uriate.

Injured were Arnel Bacasin,34, who suffered 2nd degree burns, and responding Fire Officer 1 Dean Errot who experienced back pain from falling from the 2nd floor of one of the houses, based on a report reaching Guerrero.

Another minor complained of difficulty of breathing, he added.

Guerrero said investigators are initially looking into an unattended stove or burner as cause of fire. /je