6 dead, 3 hurt in Tondo fire

MANILA, Philippines — Six persons died and three others were injured when a fire broke out at a slum area in Tondo District 1, Manila yesterday morning.

The remains of five women and a man were recovered in the rubble after firefighters put out the blaze, according to city fire marshal Guillermo Firmalino.

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said two of the fatalities were girls aged 16 and 17. A 70-year-old woman was also among the dead.

Firmalino said the fire started at a house at the corner of Tioco and Herbosa streets in Barangay 89, Zone 8, District 1 at past 6 a.m.

The flames immediately spread to other houses in the crowded community.

The BFP raised the first alarm before the fire was put under control at around 8 a.m.

Arson probers said faulty electrical wiring or an electric appliance left unattended could have caused the fire.

At least 20 families were left homeless.

Damage to property was estimated at P150,000.

This is the third fire that struck Tondo since the enhanced community quarantine was implemented last month.

The city government will place Tondo District 1 under “hard lockdown” for 48 hours on Sunday amid the high number of quarantine violators in the area.

City hall officials said the affected families are temporarily taking shelter at a covered court in Barangay 91, where they would stay until the end of the lockdown.

In Malabon, at least 70 families were displaced when a fire razed some 45 houses in Barangay Tonsuya on Wednesday night. – With Marc Jayson Cayabyab