At least 1 killed, firefighter loses hand in New Year QC blaze

At least one person was killed while a firefighter lost his right hand after a fire hit a residential area in Barangay Apolonio Samson in Balintawak, Quezon City on New Year's Day. 

 

Bureau of Fire Protection Metro Manila head Senior Superintendent Sergio Soriano did not immediately give details about the fatality, however.

 

In an interview with radio dzBB's Divine Reyes, Soriano identified the injured firefighter as Paul Manuel, who he said was brought to the Chinese General Hospital.

 

Earlier, Quezon City fire marshal Superintendent Jesus Fernandez said Manuel was one of the first to respond to the fire.

 

An earlier dzBB report said Manuel lost his hand after he fell from a roof of one of the houses affected by the fire.

 

Soriano said a civilian, Rommel Balmaceda, 30, was also injured in the fire.

 

The fire started before 7 a.m. and reached the general alarm. It spread quickly as strong winds fanned the flames.

 

A photo tweeted by dzBB's Reyes past 10 a.m. showed the fire was still raging.

Patuloy na lumalaki ang sunog sa Brgy. Apolonio Samson sa Quezon City | via @divinereyes pic.twitter.com/ZbaOrGS6il

— GMA News (@gmanews) January 1, 2015

 

Many residents had to cross a nearby creek to escape from the fire. Several of them carried whatever belongings they could save.

 

Power to the area was cut off.

The BFP has requested the Philippine Air Force to send aerial reinforcements to help stop the raging fire, GMA News reporter John Consulta said.

 

Firefighters quickly ran out of water and fire hydrants were far away.

 

They could not rely on water from the creek as it was dirty, the dzBB report added.

 

Meanwhile, Consulta reported on GMA News TV's News to Go that the fire had spread to the bell tower of the Mother of Perpetual Help chapel.

 

Kwitis

 

Soriano said their initial investigation showed the fire started at the house of one Janine Lopez, after a wayward kwitis (baby rocket) landed inside.

 

"(Ang kapitbahay) nakita may pumasok kwitis sa bahay ni Janine Lopez. Walang tao sa bahay. Doon nagmula ang sunog," he said.

 

Citing initial reports, he said the fire has so far affected 200 houses. —Joel Locsin/KG, GMA News