DPA/Manila
Thousands of people were left homeless in an overnight fire that razed houses in a slum area in the Philippine capital but left no one injured, a local official said yesterday.
The blaze began late Monday in Parola compound in Manila’s district of Tondo and was put out only early yesterday, according to Johnny Yu, chief of Manila Disaster Risk Reduction office. More than 10,000 people were left homeless, Yu said.
Based on an initial investigation the fire could have been caused by a stove left unattended in one of the razed shanties, he said. The victims were temporarily sheltered in nearby schools and public gymnasiums, Yu said.
Smoke from a fire engulfs a slum area in Manila yesterday.
