Fires break out in Tondo, Navotas

MANILA, Philippines - At least 40 families were rendered homeless when a fire razed some 30 houses in Balut, Tondo, Manila shortly after midnight yesterday.

Senior Fire Officer 3 John Joseph Halique of the Manila Fire Department said the fire broke out at 12:01 a.m. on the second floor of an apartment along Rodriguez street.

The blaze quickly spread to adjacent houses made of light materials, he said.

Arson investigators said a refrigerator short-circuited and sparked the fire.

Residents initially tried to control the flames using fire extinguisher, but their efforts prove futile.

The fire reached fourth alarm before it was contained by firefighters at 1:45 a.m.

In Navotas City, more than P10 million worth of property went up in smoke when a fire gutted a cotton factory and a shipyard yesterday.

The fire, which reached fifth alarm, broke out at 1:30 p.m. in Barangay Tangos, said Fire Officer 2 Benjamin Mabborang of the Bureau of Fire Protection-Navotas.

Around 15 families were affected as the fire spread in the nearby residential area.

Mabborang said they have yet to determine the cause of the fire.

No one was reported hurt in the blaze, which was declared under control at 3 p.m.