Big fire in Makati-Pasay area put out; 3K people homeless

The large fire that hit Makati City and Pasay City on Wednesday was put out past 1 p.m., after gutting 700 houses, leaving more than 3,000 people homeless. Senior Superintendent Pablito Cordeta, chief of the Bureau of Fire Protection in Metro Manila, was quoted in a radio dzBB report as saying the blaze burned down around 600 shanties in Barangay (village) 144 in Pasay City. Investigators said the fire started at about 10:30 a.m. in a house along Bonifacio Street in Bangkal village, where 100 houses were destroyed. Some 350 affected families from Makati City are seeking temporary settlement at the city hall. Residents from the affected villages in Pasay City had either cramped themselves at a nearby bus station or carried their belongings all the way up to a nearby overpass.

Initial investigation showed that the fire could have been triggered by a cooking stove that was left unattended. Firefighters had a difficulty putting out the fire that reached the general alarm because of the narrow streets in Bangkal. A radio dzMM report said an unidentified woman was rushed to a hospital after suffocating from thick smoke. Authorities also arrested a man who was caught snatching wallets from panicking residents. Traffic in the area has already eased. - LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV