Woman dead, 450 families displaced in QC slum blaze

VIEW FROM THE (BURNT) TOP A boy views what remains of his neighborhood after Friday’s shantytown fire affecting Barangays Baesa and Bahay Toro, Quezon City. MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

A three-hour fire swept through a slum area straddling two barangays in Quezon City, killing a woman and leaving more than 450 families homeless in the wee hours of Friday.

Four firemen were injured before they could even reach the site, when their speeding truck swerved out of control and fell on its side after avoiding another vehicle on North Avenue near SM City.

The body of Leni Omedes, 57, was recovered from the ruins of her house in Sitio Mendez, Barangay Baesa. Another resident, Maurillo Canseco, 59, suffered burns in the face and back.

The city’s deputy fire marshal, Supt. Samuel Tadeo, said around 150 houses were destroyed and damage was estimated at P2 million.

The fire reportedly started at Omedes’s house on De Jesus Street around 1 a.m. and spread quickly to surrounding homes, with one side of the neighborhood within Barangay Baesa and the other in Barangay Bahay Toro.

“It crossed over to the neighboring areas because the houses were made of light materials and the wind was strong,” Tadeo said.

Omedes’ four-story house collapsed. The victim was last seen on the top floor before the fire started, relatives told authorities.

Firefighters were hampered by the narrow alleys and took until 4 a.m. to put the fire out.

Investigators have yet to pinpoint the cause of the blaze, which took place a day after a fire hit Barangay Tandang Sora, also in Quezon City, and killed a woman.

Four volunteer firefighters from Project 3 were injured in the North Avenue accident and were treated at East Avenue Medical Center, Tadeo said.