More than 400 families rendered homeless after fire hit Sta. Mesa, Manila area

A fire that broke out in a residential area in Sta. Mesa, Manila on Sunday night rendered more than 400 families homeless.

The fire started at past 10 p.m. and affected houses on Valencia Street and Anonas Street, according to a report by Nico Waje on GMA News' Unang Balita on Monday.

Most residents were already asleep when they were awakened by loud sounds from explosions of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanks.

Residents tried to save whatever they could, from pets to belongings, but others were not able to bring out anything.

The fire reached the third alarm before it was declared put out by 12:46 a.m. on Monday.

"Ngayon umabot tayo ng third alarm dahil it is composed of light materials sa isang cluster na yon. So nahirapan tayo. Kaya very challenging 'yung volume of water that is being provided to the firefighters, 'yung frontliners natin," Manila Fire District chief of operations Fire Chief Inspector Jude delos Reyes told reporters.

(We reached the third alarm because the houses in that cluster were made of light materials. So we had difficulty. It was also very challenging to have enough volume of water for firefighters, our frontliners.)

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said 200 houses were affected by the fire.

The residents temporarily stayed at a chapel in the barangay.

The Manila Social Welfare department said they will give affected residents the assistance they need.

It would also request for assistance to help residents repair their houses.

The BFP meanwhile is conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the fire. —KG, GMA News