Mandaluyong fire leaves 700 families homeless

MANILA, Philippines - At least 700 families were rendered homeless when a fire started by an unattended gas lamp destroyed 400 shanties at a slum area in Mandaluyong City Monday night.

Nobody was hurt in a two-hour fire that hit Welfareville Compound in Barangay Addition Hills but damage to property was placed at P8 million.

President Arroyo rushed to the area to comfort the fire victims, who were given temporary shelter at the nearby Fabella National High School.

Mrs. Arroyo promised to provide the fire victims with relief goods and construction materials for them to be able to construct their new homes.

The Chief Executive directed Mandaluyong City Mayor Benhur Abalos and other concerned government agencies to immediately clean the area of debris to speed up the construction of houses of the fire victims.

Metro police chief Director Roberto Rosales, who joined Mrs. Arroyo at the scene, said the fire started at the duplex house of a Veronica Arsenal and Brix Salic on Block 37 of Welfareville Compound at about 6:30 p.m. Monday.

According to Rosales, the duplex house has no electricity and the occupants made do with a gas lamp.

Fire prober FO3 Victorino Tablay said only children were left alone in the house when the fire started. “Maybe the children knocked over the lamp and started the fire,” he said.

Neighbors tried to put out the fire with pails of water, but strong winds fanned the flames, which spread to other shanties.

Tablay said by the time the firetrucks arrived, the entire block “was almost gone.”

The fire reached general alarm level and was declared under control after two hours. Firefighters put out the fire at 11:55 a.m.

Rosales directed Senior Superintendent Carlos de Sagun, city police chief, to deploy uniformed personnel to control traffic and protect affected residents from looters.