Fires hit Malabon, Tondo

At least 11 families were rendered homeless when a fire broke out in a residential area in Malabon City Friday night, while three adjacent houses were razed and a Chinese-Filipino homeowner was hurt in a blaze in Tondo Manila early yesterday morning.

Senior Inspector Rodrigo Reyes, Malabon City fire bureau chief, said four houses and a four-door apartment building on Martin st. in Barangay Santolan were destroyed.

Investigation showed that the fire started at the ground floor of a house of a certain Yoyong Manlapaz at 64 Martin st. in Barangay Santolan at around 8:29 p.m.

SFO1 Noe Bragais said that the blaze spread rapidly in the neighborhood and gutted an adjacent two-story apartment building and three more houses.

The fire raged for more than an hour and reached the fifth alarm before firemen put it out at around 9:31 p.m. Nobody was reported hurt in the blaze.

In the Tondo blaze, Willie Chua, the owner of the house at 132 Balintawak street where the fire reportedly started, suffered lacerations in his left leg while trying to flee from his burning house. He was declared out of danger after receiving treatment. — Pete Laude, Nestor Etolle