About 1,000 homes have already been burnt to the ground in the Philippine capital Manila in a massive fire that has been raging since Sunday morning.
The Manila Fire Department said the blaze started in the Isla Puting Bato neighbourhood on the first floor of a house and soon spread to other flats and houses.
About two thousand families lived in the fire-ravaged neighbourhood. Drone footage posted online by the city’s management agency showed houses in Isla Puting Bato village in Manila being wiped out.
Villager Leonila Abiertas, 65, lost almost all her possessions, but she managed to save her late husband’s ashes. She said:
“I only got an urn with my husband’s ashes. I really don’t know how I can start my life again after this fire.”
Fire and rescue services deployed 36 lorries and four fire boats, while the country’s air force sent two helicopters to extinguish the blaze. Firefighter Gianelli Nunez said:
“This neighbourhood is a fire hazard because most of the houses here are built of lightweight materials.”
