2 dead, 459 homeless in Mandaluyong fire

MANILA, Philippines — Two people died and 459 people were displaced after a fire broke out in a residential area in Mandaluyong City on Friday night.

The Bureau of Fire Protection’s National Capital Region field unit said the blaze in Barangay Vergara started at around 11:13 p.m. and reached first alarm.

A staff at the barangay hall said in a phone interview that several houses along Backside street were engulfed by the fire, which was doused at around 2:06 a.m. yesterday.

As firefighters were scouring the area, they recovered the charred remains of an 80-year-old woman and a man in his 40s. They were reported to be mother and son, but no names were released.

Another resident was injured after he was hit by a pail of water.

Data from the barangay said 119 families or 459 people were affected by the fire.

Barangay officials, led by chairman Ernesto Mendiola, have set up a temporary shelter for the victims of the fire.

“The cause of the fire is still being investigated, along with the total number of homes affected,” Mendiola said in a Facebook post.

Arson probers are conducting an inventory to determine the estimated cost of damage to property.