500 homes razed in Malabon blaze

An estimated P20 million worth of property went up in smoke when a fire of still unknown origin that started Sunday night and lasted until yesterday morning razed 500 houses in densely populated area in Malabon City.

Volunteer fireman Wilfredo Martin, 42, was injured while battling the blaze and was brought for treatment at the Manila Central University (MCU) hospital. Thousands of residents were left homeless by the fire that destroyed a huge portion of a residential area in Barangay Potrero.

Arson investigator Senior Fire Officer 4 Job Santisteban said that the blaze started at the house of a certain Letty Escutado at 21-A Atis Road, Barangay Potrero at around 8:59 p.m. last Sunday.

Santisteban said that prior to the blaze, residents in the area heard a loud explosion from the Escutado residence.

The blast resulted in a blaze that went out of control for almost eight hours.

"We are still trying to determine what caused the explosion, but according to the residents it could have been caused by a cooking gas canister," Santisteban said.

Fanned by strong winds, the fire quickly spread to the neighborhood and on the adjacent Guava Road and Duhat Road, destroying more houses.

Firefighters had difficulty battling the blaze since most houses in the area were made of light materials and the alleys were too narrow for the fire trucks to enter, Santisteban said.

Several fire victims, he said, also hampered the firefighters’ operation by grabbing fire hoses from the firemen in their desperation to salvage their burning houses.

The blaze, which reached Task Force Echo, was declared out at around 4:55 a.m. yesterday.

Arson probers, as of press-time yesterday, were still verifying reports that one of the blaze victims suffered a heart attack and died at the height of the fire.

More than a thousand fire victims were taken yesterday to the Potrero Elementary School while others opted to stay on the roadside of the burned area.

Acting Mayor Mark Allan Jay Yambao ordered the city disaster team to assist the fire victims and provide them with their basic needs.