Munti fire displaces 400 families

A four-hour fire destroyed more than 200 shanties in a crowded residential area next to the tracks of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) in Muntinlupa City Saturday evening.

Inspector Joseph Llames of the Muntinlupa City fire station said less than a dozen residents sustained minor burns in the blaze that started around 6:20 p.m. in Purok 1, Marquez Compound in Barangay Putatan.

Llames said the fire of still unknown origin left more than 400 families homeless and P2.5 million in damage. He explained that more than one family lived in one house mostly built with light materials.

Firemen prevented the blaze from spreading by taking positions from across a creek that separated the two areas of the compound.

The Muntinlupa government is providing displaced families with food, medicine and temporary shelter in an adjacent vacant lot.

Llames said the fire caused heavy traffic along the national road near Putatan and Poblacion but did not affect PNR operations in the area.