Fire razes Mandaluyong slum area

A nine-hour fire swept through a Mandaluyong squatter’s community early yesterday morning, destroying hundreds of homes and leaving about 1,200 families homeless.

Fire Officer 2 Mario Cabeso said the fire, which consumed about 400 shanties in Welfareville Compound, Barangay Addition Hills, started at 3 a.m.

Cabeso said the firefighters had difficulty putting out the blaze because the houses were all made of wood and other light materials. The fire was declared totally contained shortly after 12 noon.

Two people were injured during the incident, which was blamed on an unattended candle in one of the shanties, he said, adding that some residents claimed the fire was caused by a short-circuit in the electrical wiring in one of the shanties.

Cabeso said they have yet to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the real cause of the fire.

The families displaced by the blaze were given temporary shelter at the Mandaluyong City gym and the Fabella Elementary School in the city.

Mandaluyong Mayor Neptali Gonzales also reportedly came to the aid of the victimized families with some relief goods.

It was learned that yesterday’s fire came on the heels of another blaze that destroyed an 11-door apartment in nearby San Juan last Maundy Thursday. Firefighters doused the flames, which started at 2:40 p.m., at 3:58 p.m. the same day.

The San Juan municipal government reportedly gave assistance to families displaced by the fire. – With AP