9 dead in QC slum inferno

MANILA, Philippines - An inferno in one of Metro Manila’s sprawling shantytowns killed nine people, authorities said yesterday, the third blaze to have struck the slums in as many weeks.

Residents grabbed clothes, furniture and appliances as they fled the burning Barangay Damayang Lagi in Quezon City shortly after midnight, a survivor said.

“The fire spread so fast, everything was gone in minutes,” Arman Altoveros, a 43-year-old pedicab driver, told AFP as he scavenged for charred pots and pans on burnt rubble that used to be his wife’s small canteen.

When the fire was finally put out after more than three hours, nine persons were found dead, four were injured and at least 120 families left homeless.

In nearby Valenzuela City, a midnight fire also left one person dead and 500 families homeless. Firefighters cited the difficulty of immediately combatting the blaze due to narrow roads and the throng of people maneuvering their way out of the place.

Fire marshal Jesus Fernandez said the Damayang Lagi fire broke out at a three-story house and spread quickly through the neighborhood, destroying at least 50 houses.

He identified the fatalities as Paul Gomez, 54, and his children Omar, 27, Glaiza, 22, and Loui, 7; Mary Anne de la Cruz, 40, and her children Maria Victoria, 19, and Elvira, 13; and Juralyn Bucala, 25, and daughter Ashley, 2.

Fernandez said residents Lino Iglopas and Danny Dalumpines were treated for third degree burns at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) along with Mark Michael Villaraiz and Francis Borleo, who sustained abrasions.

The fire, he added, broke out at 12:15 a.m. and was put out at 3:33 a.m. It started at the second floor of the house owned by Elsa Jama, where all the fatalities were residing. It appeared that Jama’s unit collapsed during the fire, trapping its residents.

Arson investigators are looking at the possibility of charging Jama for illegally tapping on the power line, which is prohibited by law, aside from other complaints that may be filed.

Liza Agdigos, operations officer of the Quezon City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said the fire survivors are temporarily staying at the CICM Maryhill School of Theology.  

She added that the city government has installed a command post to assist the victims, especially on their need for food, water and other concerns.

“We are now conducting an assessment to determine the extent of the fire’s damage. We have also put up portable toilets and a generator set so they (would) have light,” she added. 

Fernandez warned the public to be careful this holiday season.

Supt. Renato Marcial, Bureau of Fire Protection spokesman, said many of those affected by the fire lived in rented rooms in the maze of makeshift residential structures.

“Fires routinely hit the slum. These slums are very high risk. At any time, there is potential for a fire. They overload their electric outlets with no regard for their safety. They also steal electricity, damaging power lines,” he added.

Altoveros vowed to rebuild the two-story, wood and tin shack he used to share with his wife and two teenage children.

A fire in 2009 razed an earlier structure they called home, but they did not leave Damayan Lagi because they did not own land.

“I don’t know how long we’ll be sleeping on the street, but we have no choice but to start again,” he added.

In Valenzuela, city information officer Ray Souza said Wilbert Silayes, 24, drowned after jumping into a river to escape the burning structures.

He added that the city government is responding to the needs of the survivors, most of them temporarily housed at the Malanday National High School. – With Rey Galupo, AFP