MANILA, Philippines — A 37-year-old man was injured when a fire broke out at a residential area in Sampaloc, Manila on Wednesday night.
Arson probers said Michael Floranza was hurt after he touched an electric wire at the height of the fire at the corner of Galicia and Aranga streets.
At least 20 houses were destroyed by the fire, authorities said.
The Manila fire department said the blaze started on the third floor of a house owned by Nora Nocedal at around 7 p.m.
Firefighters said they encountered difficulty in containing the flames as the fire trucks ran out of water.
The fire reached the third alarm before it was declared under control at around 11:26 p.m.
Residents displaced by the fire spent the night on a vacant lot in Barangay 401.
Arson investigators said they have yet to determine what caused the fire. Damage to property was estimated at P300,000.