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.