BFP: 150 families affected in Malabon fire

Some 150 families were affected by a fire that broke out in Malabon City on Saturday evening, just days before Christmas.

According to a report by James Agustin on “24 Oras Weekend” on Sunday, the blaze quickly spread among houses along Gulayan Street in Barangay Concepcion, which are mostly made of light materials. The fire started at around 7 p.m.

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said the blaze was raised to a third alarm after about an hour and a half as residents tried to help extinguish the fire. Nearly 50 firetrucks responded to the incident.

“Paglabas namin, biglang lumakas yung apoy. Bubuhusan sana namin ng timba, pero hindi namin kinaya,” said resident Danny Refuerzo.

(When we stepped outside, the fire suddenly grew stronger. We were going to try to douse it with buckets of water, but we couldn’t handle it.)

“Sabi ko, ‘bakit amoy usok?’ Bababa sana ako, pero ang init na ng pumapasok sa amin,” said another resident, Fe Tumomba.

(I said to myself, ‘Why does it smell like smoke?’ I was about to go downstairs, but the heat entering our place was already intense.)

Amid the chaos, a man was ganged up on after he was allegedly caught stealing items. He was later brought to the barangay hall to have his head wounds treated and was then turned over to the police.

BFP officials declared the fire under control shortly before midnight and declared it out at 1:39 a.m. on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Barangay Captain Michael Santiago said a nearby multipurpose hall and a school were prepared as temporary shelters for affected residents.

Authorities are still determining the cause of the fire.—Vince Angelo Ferreras/MCG, GMA Integrated News