Pasay City fire disrupts LRT operations

Operations of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) in Pasay City were disrupted after a fire of still undetermined origin broke out in a residential area on Tuesday. Radio dzBB reported that the fire at the corner of Villanueva Street and Taft Avenue, reached the fifth alarm at 5:30 p.m. It affected operations of local business establishments and bus terminals in the area. There were no immediate reports of casualties, but traffic in the area was paralyzed. The LRT Authority (LRTA) was forced to cut off the operations of coaches from the Central Terminal in Manila to Vito Cruz at the boundary of Manila and Pasay City. "Malapit ito sa ating istasyon at umiinit ang kable natin. Nag-hop operations na lang tayo, from Central Station to Monumento (The fire was near our stations and it was heating up the cables. We are forced to hop operations and have the coaches ply only Central Station to Monumento)," LRT spokeswoman Jinky Jorgio said in an interview on dzBB. She said passengers in stations from Vito Cruz to Baclaran were asked to get off the coaches. Jorgio said she did not know what time the LRT could resume full operations. Earlier, at least eight families lost their homes after fire of still undetermined origin hit a residential compound in Makati City Tuesday afternoon. Makati City fire marshal Chief Insp. Jose Embang Jr told dzBB that the fire hit the compound along Kalayaan Avenue before 4 p.m. Initial reports said the fire started at the corner of Kalayaan Avenue and Yabut Street. Smoke from the fire was visible from the northbound lane of C-5 road. - GMANews.TV