Fires hit LP, Parañaque slums; 13 hurt

MANILA, Philippines - A total of 13 persons were injured when fires broke out at shantytowns in Las Piñas and Parañaque cities starting Sunday night.

Fire Inspector Nilo Lomitao, chief arson investigator of the Las Piñas fire department, told The STAR that the blaze razed 30 houses in Fatima Subdivision at Barangay Talon 2, leaving 45 families homeless. He said Mario Escobar, Obando Sanagan, Eduardo Tingson and Art Tula Quartero suffered third-degree burns as they tried to save their belongings at the height of the two-hour fire.

He said investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the fire.

In Parañaque City, nine people were hurt when a fire that lasted less than 30 minutes engulfed a slum area at Matatdo Subdivision and left 200 families homeless.

Investigators believe the fire may have started at the house of Alexander Constantino, who left his stove unattended as he was cooking rice.

Senior Fire Officer 4 Dean Jogno said firefighters had a hard time penetrating the area because “it has not access to major roads” and they had to use ladders to gain access.