Around 100 families were displaced after a fire swept through a residential area along Mindanao Avenue in Barangay Bagong Pag-asa, Quezon City early Saturday, May 9.
According to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), the blaze was reported at around 5:47 a.m. and quickly escalated to a second alarm. Around 40 to 50 houses, mostly made of light materials and occupied by informal settler families, were destroyed.
The fire was declared under control at 6:26 a.m. and fully extinguished by 6:35 a.m. No injuries or fatalities were reported.
Fire Senior Inspector Rodrigo delos Santos of BFP Quezon City Station 1 said the affected area had also been hit by a fire in November 2025.
“Ito rin ’yung nasunog noong nakaraang November 2025,” delos Santos said.
He said the blaze started from a two-story residential structure made of light materials, although authorities are still investigating the exact cause. Firefighters also faced challenges due to crowd congestion in the area.
Residents said the flames spread rapidly through the densely packed community.
Cristina Zuniega, one of the affected residents, said she immediately woke up her family after hearing people shouting “Sunog!”
“Kaya wala kaming nailigtas. Ito lang, mga dokumento lang po,” she said, adding that this was already the third major fire to hit their community since 2021.
Another resident, Danilo Faeldonia, said they escaped with nothing after the fire broke out while they were asleep.
“Wala, sir. Inuna ko ’yung mga bata e,” he said.
Authorities continue investigating the cause of the blaze while affected families seek temporary shelter and try to recover what little they were able to save from their homes.