The rainy season is expected to officially start later this week and Fire Prevention Month is long over, but deadly fires continue to occur in the crowded neighborhoods of Metro Manila.
Last week eight young women locked in a room by their employer in Manila were trapped and died in a five-hour fire that gutted the building where they worked in an electronics shop. The owner of the shop has been arrested.
Yesterday, a one-hour fire in Tondo, Manila killed five people who were asleep on the second floor of a structure housing a mini convenience store. Two store employees tried to rouse some of the victims from their sleep as the fire spread before dawn, but the room was locked from inside. The cause of the fire has not been determined.
Two hours later, in a nearby neighborhood in Tondo, a liquefied petroleum gas cylinder exploded, setting off a fire that gutted many of the shanties at the Farola Compound. At least 37 people were injured.
March is observed as Fire Prevention Month, but many fires are reported during this month when the summer heat turns neighborhoods with jerrybuilt dwellings made of wood and galvanized iron sheets into tinderboxes.
Authorities have repeatedly emphasized that fire prevention is a continuing effort, but many people still ignore the warnings. Building owners also ignore fire safety requirements, with some – such as the owner of the electronics shop in Manila – compounding the problem by locking up workers like modern-day slaves.
Accidents happen, but they can be prevented. Fires are among the easier accidents that are preventable, if people would take the time and effort to implement the necessary measures. The latest tragedy in Manila should give urgency to such preventive measures.