Deadly blaze struck Philippine’s capital, Manila; thirty homes destroyed

62 views0

Deadly blaze struck Philippine’s capital, Manila; thirty homes destroyed

By

Philippines experienced a deadly slum fire in the capital, Manila on Tuesday where looters swamped on the scene removing roof sheets and electric wire from burnt homes while firemen rushed to check the blaze. Anti-riot policemen took positions around the White Rock Island shantytown at Manila’s port area while firemen managed to reach burning homes only reachable through narrow alleys swarmed by residents as well as scavengers. Photo shots by AFP showed not fewer than 100 people, mostly men, involved in tug of war over electricity cables that had been pulled from still burning shanties. The struggled over metal roofing sheets destroyed by intense fire, which they pulled away by means of improvised wooden carts. “These are informal settlers trying to make a buck out of salvaged materials,” Aljeph Lorenzo, one of dozens of firemen at the scene spoke to AFP. “This happens all the time whenever a slum is struck by fire. They interfere with our work so we had to ask for police assistance.” A 16-year-old was trapped inside a house unreachable by firefighters, while looting occurred around the vicinity. Some looters narrowly escaped being hit by a collapsing wall of a burnt shanty. However, firemen tried warding off the looters by aiming their powerful water hoses at them but they were unstoppable before the arrival of police. Fire incidents are common threats in the slums of Manila, an expansive metropolis of more than 13 million people. The major cause of fire is the highly combustible materials such as plywood and cardboard boxes of which the densely-packed homes are made of.Manila arson investigator Armando Maldillo said the firemen later removed a burnt-out cadaver, supposedly the body of the trapped boy.The Manila fire incidents affected thirty houses, which were destroyed in the hour-long blaze, Maldillo confirmed

Discover more from NewsBreakers

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

What's your reaction?

Excited
0
Happy
0
In Love
0
Not Sure
0
Silly
0
Previous
Next

Comments are closed.