Firefighter hurt in Chinatown blaze

MANILA, Philippines - A volunteer firefighter was injured while helping put out a fire at a building in Manila’s Chinatown district before dawn yesterday.

Enrico Paule was hit by iron debris that fell from the burning four-story building at the corner of Mapua and Ongpin streets.

The impact caused Paule to lose consciousness for a few minutes despite wearing a helmet. He was rushed to a nearby hospital and was declared out of danger in the afternoon.

The fire broke out at nearly 5 a.m. in a temporarily closed restaurant on the third floor of the building. The fire destroyed P200,000 worth of property before it was put out 15 minutes after it started, firefighters said, adding that the building’s firewall kept the blaze from spreading.