An early Wednesday morning fire destroyed about 150 homes in Barangay 739, Malate, Manila, leaving around 200 families, roughly 650 people, homeless.
The pre-dawn blaze spread rapidly through the densely packed neighborhood. Laureano, a resident whose four-story apartment building burned down, recalled “my tenants upstairs told me there were people fighting and throwing things at each other… Then after the commotion, the fire started.” He added, “it’s hard because that’s where we earned the money we used for our daily expenses.”
Panicking residents fled into the streets, unable to salvage their possessions. “Most of us weren’t able to save anything. It’s extremely difficult, especially now that we have nowhere to live. We don’t even know where we’ll sleep tonight,” said 24-year-old Jeng Dela Cruz. “I was inside our room taking care of things. I was awake when people started shouting that there was a fire. That’s when everyone panicked and tried to carry out whatever they could.”
Barangay Chairwoman Jennifer Dato noted that light construction materials allowed the flames to sweep through the area, “based on what some of our residents told us, the fire allegedly started from a stove. Because many of our homes are made of light materials, they were quickly consumed by the flames.”
Dato added that Epifanio de los Santos Elementary School has been set up as a temporary evacuation center, “we’re also appealing to anyone who wants to help to visit our barangay so we can assist the victims.”
Around 72 fire trucks responded, bringing the blaze under control by 5:40 a.m. However, firefighters faced major logistical obstacles. FCInsp. Demetrio Sablan Jr. of the Manila Fire District explained, “we had difficulty with the water supply because some of the fire hydrants were too far away. Even the hydrants we identified had very weak water pressure, so more water was being used by the trucks than was being replenished. That caused delays in our firefighting operations.”
Sablan added that exploding power lines and narrow alleys hampered early access despite prior planning, “we had already identified this area through Oplan Ligtas na Pamayanan and laid out fire hoses to reach the narrow passages. The problem was that when the power lines exploded, we couldn’t immediately penetrate the area, which slightly delayed our fire suppression operations.”
Outline the primary reasons for the quick escalation, Sablan stated: “One reason was the houses being built so close together and made of light materials. Second, we needed additional units and manpower in the area. Third, the winds were quite strong this morning, and we observed that during the incident. Those were the factors we considered in raising the fire alarm.”
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) reported no fatalities or serious injuries, and the exact cause remains under investigation. “As of now, we received an initial report that it may have been a rice cooker, but we’re still verifying that information. Our investigators are continuing to gather evidence,” Sablan said.