10 injured in Visayas Avenue fire

At least 10 people were injured, while 1,100 families were affected when a two-hour fire gutted a depressed area the other night in Visayas Avenue, Quezon City.

The fire, which reached Task Force India alarm, destroyed some 250 houses in the area located inside Metro Heights Subdivision in Visayas Avenue. No deaths were reported.

The victims were all taken to different hospitals in Metro Manila after sustaining minor burns and lacerations in their bodies. None of the 10 injured are considered to be in serious condition.

Initial reports showed that the blaze started at about 6:50 p.m. It is still unclear what caused the fire, but probers believe this is a case of arson in one of the houses.

According to SFO2 Virgilio Agpawa, over 50 fire trucks from different volunteer groups immediately arrived on the scene, but that they had a difficult time getting inside the area because cars were double parked everywhere.

Panic-stricken residents hauled their belongings to safety as they helplessly watched their homes being engulfed by the flames. Winds further spread the blaze to other houses.

The amount of damage is still undetermined, but investigators estimated it to be "millions of pesos." The fire was under-control by about 9 p.m. and was declared out several minutes later.

Meanwhile, four government hospitals earlier tagged as "firetraps" by the United Fire Fighters of the Philippines (UFFP) were given P10 million by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit said that though the P10 million was not enough, it made for an initial "grant" saying they are hoping that more will come from the PCSO in the future.

The four hospitals and alleged "fire traps" that will share the P10 million fund were identified as the Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center, the Fabella Memorial Hospital, the Tondo Medical Center, and the San Lazaro Hospital.

The P10 million is apparently for the use of the four hospitals to make the necessary rehabilitation in their building structures that will make them more safe for occupants. Dayrit disclosed that they had asked the PCSO for P30 million to fund the rehabilitation of the government hospitals. – Matthew Estabillo and Rainier Allan Ronda