Fire hits squatter area in Manila

Fire hit Isla Puting Bato, a squatter colony in Pier 2 in Tondo, Manila, razing hundreds of shanties as firefighters struggled to put out the blaze that reached 5th-alarm level at around 9:20 p.m. Saturday. GMA-7’s DZBB radio said that some children have been reported missing as residents scrambled to save their belongings. Authorities said that firefighters came shortly after the fire began, but the fire swiftly spread because the shanties were made of light materials. Barely an hour after the fire broke out, fire officials had to declare a fifth-level alarm. As of posting time, firefighters are still trying to control the fire. - GMANews.TV