Arson prober FO1 Victor Tablay said some 500 residents were rendered homeless in the fire that was believed to have been caused by an unattended lighted candle in the house of a certain Susan Manggoy, at Block 27 Welfareville Compound, Barangay Addition Hills at about 7:24 p.m. Thursday. Hours before the fire, Meralco personnel conducted an operation against illegal electrical connections (jumpers) which rendered the entire neighborhood without electricity. Manggoy and other residents lighted candles and used other means to have light, Tablay said.
She and her family went to sleep and left the candle unattended which could have ignited the fire, the arson prober said. The entire neighborhood tried to put out the fire but strong winds spread the blaze to adjacent houses made of light materials.
Matilde Rodriguez, 80, was rushed out of their house by relatives. But she succumbed to a heart attack upon seeing the fire engulfing her house.
Firefighters from Mandaluyong City and neighboring towns and cities arrived and put the fire under control at 12:54 a.m. yesterday. Damage to property was placed at P10 million.
Meanwhile, Mayor Benhur Abalos Jr. ordered the setting up of an evacuation center for the fire victims at the Jose Fabella Elementary School. He also distributed assistance in kind to the affected residents.
The Welfareville property is owned by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and is home to thousands of squatters. Abalos vowed to assist the victims rebuild their homes through financial assistance and other interventions.