1 dead in Malabon fire

MANILA, Philippines — A 19-year-old woman died in a fire that hit a residential area in Malabon City on Wednesday morning.

The body of the victim, whose identity is being withheld by the officials of Barangay Tugatog, was found on the second floor of a two-story house along A. Bonifacio street.

Eight families were affected by the fire, barangay secretary Charisse Bullen said in a phone interview.

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)’s National Capital Region (NCR) field office said the fire broke out at past 7 a.m. and reached second alarm.

Firefighters doused the fire at around 8:12 a.m.

The BFP said a person was injured in the fire.

Xavier School hit

In San Juan, a fire hit Xavier School yesterday.

The BFP-NCR field office said the fire at the private school in Barangay Greenhills started at around 11:48 a.m. and reached first alarm.

The fire was traced by arson investigators to the library on the second floor of one of the buildings.

A statement from Xavier School said the fire occurred as grade school students ended their graduation rites.

School officials immediately evacuated students, guests and employees to the campus football field.

Several fire trucks responded to the scene within minutes and doused the fire at around 12:34 p.m.

“There is damage to property, but thankfully no one was hurt. The source of the fire has not yet been determined,” Xavier School said.

It said Grade 12 activities continued in other parts of the campus.

Tondo fire lasts 16 hours

Meanwhile, a fire at a residential area in Tondo, Manila lasted 16 hours before it was put out, the BFP said yesterday.

The blaze started on the second floor of a house at 1:53 a.m. and reached second alarm around six minutes later. It affected a textile factory and nearby houses before it was doused at 4:33 p.m., according to the BFP.

The fire displaced at least 15 families, while firefighters recorded five BFP personnel, three volunteer firefighters and two civilians who were treated for minor burns.

Arson probers estimated the damage to be at least P120,000. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.- Nillicent Bautista