Malabon blaze leaves 36 families homeless

At least 36 families lost their homes when a fire of still unknown origin broke out at a densely populated area Saturday night in Malabon City.

Arson investigator Senior Fire Officer 1 Rogelio Gayon said some 14 houses on C. Perez street in Barangay Tonsuya were razed by the fire that reached Task Force Bravo.

Gayon said the fire started at around 9:35 p.m. at the second floor of a two-story house made mostly of wooden materials.

The blaze quickly engulfed the entire structure and spread quickly, destroying 13 more houses.

Gayon said it took firefighters some four hours to control the blaze.

Joint efforts by Malabon City Bureau of Fire Protection personnel and firefighters from neighboring cities and the local volunteer fire brigades put the blaze out at around 12:28 a.m.

Gayon said nobody was hurt in the incident.

Arson probers have yet to determine the exact cause of the fire that destroyed some P2 million worth of properties.

Mayor Canuto "Tito" Oreta ordered the local disaster office yesterday to assist affected families.