Superintendent John Sosito, Pasig City police chief, said the fire which started at 7:45 p.m. razed to the ground at least 800 houses rendering some 2,400 squatter families homeless.
The fire reached the highest alarm level, Task Force Echo, with firefighters from all over Metro Manila rushing to the scene to help put out the blaze.
Sosito identified the victim as Baceliso Sedano, 31, single and resident of 80 Bolante 1 Street, Barangay Pinagbuhatan, Pasig City. He died of suffocation, arson investigators said.
Two others, Abdong Garcia, 55, and Roben Manalad, 26, suffered hypertension and third degree burns, respectively. They were sent home after treatment at the Pasig City General Hospital.
Sosito said the fire started in the house of a certain Mona Panalawan at Bolante 2 Street. Probers have yet to determine the cause of the fire.
Fire Superintendent Aloveel Ferrer, Pasig City fire chief, dispatched firetrucks to the scene. Some time later, Ferrer declared a general alarm, or Task Force Echo.
Residents hurled their belongings from windows and others scampered to safety while watching the flames destroy their homes from a distance. The fire quickly spread to a row of shanties at the back of the Pasig City public market.
Strong winds later fanned flames into other shanties and later engulfed the entire squatter community.
Jason Yu, a Chinese firefighter volunteer, claimed that some desperate residents even pointed guns at them so they could train their hoses on their burning houses.
Witnesses said Sedano was killed when he went back inside his burning house. On the other hand, Garcia suffered from hypertension from the sight of his burning property, while Manalad sustained third degree burns while fighting the blaze.
Ferrer said the fire was placed under control at 9:36 p.m. and declared out at exactly 11 p.m. He said mopping-up operations lasted until 4 a.m. yesterday.
Sedano’s body was recovered during the operation led by Superintendent Cristina Freyra, head of the Eastern Police District crime scene investigation team. – With Ann Corvera