Six fires hit Metro Manila

The early hours of the new year were greeted by six separate fires that hit Metro Manila. Two of the fires were reported in Manila, one in Caloocan and three more in Quezon City, officials said.

Damaged in the first fire in Manila was the Borja Roxas Building in 1137 GM. Tolentino corner J. Verlin, Dapitan, Sampaloc.

Arson investigators said that the fire started at around 12:20 a.m. in the second floor level. The blaze was contained at about 1:05 a.m. No one was reported injured nor killed in the incident. The origin of the fire is still being investigated.

The second fire occurred at about 7:50 a.m. and struck the third floor of the Chica Boarding House located at 91 Padilla St., Quiapo. No one was reported injured nor killed in the fire. Arson investigators are also still determining the cause of the blaze.

In Caloocan City, at least 200 houses were razed and three people were injured, including a one-year-old boy, during a three-hour fire that hit a densely populated area in Caloocan City at around midnight Monday.

The fire reportedly started at about 11:46 p.m. inside the room of Virginia Baluyot at the second floor of a two-story apartment at L. Lupa street, Maypajo, Caloocan City.

In Quezon City, at least eight families were left homeless and the famous Boracay Mansion is now one nipa hut less.

Firemen said a fire razed seven residential houses in Villa Beatriz, Commonwealth, Barangay Balara on New Year’s Eve. A few minutes later, fire alarms went off in the posh New Manila area after it was reported that one of the nipa huts in the famous Boracay Mansion was on fire. Later at around 5:04 a.m. a fire that reached the fifth alarm struck the house of a retired fire fighter identified as Pablo Macabagdal, 57, at Oliveros Drive, Barangay Apolonio Samson. – Mike Frialde, Nikko Dizon and Pete Laude