By Kate Louise Javier
Barangay Catmon in Malabon City was placed under a state of calamity after a blaze yesterday displaced at least 1,000 families.
An aftermath of burn-out residential houses left after fire broke out made of light materials in of Sitio 6, Barangay Catmon in Malabon City yesterday afternoon. About 450 families left homeless as fire blazed up to Task Force Bravo alarm level. (Kevin Tristan Espiritu/MANILA BULLETIN)
This was decided by the city council after an emergency meeting as the fire was declared under control, according to the city’s public information office chief Bong Padua.
"Due to magnitude of destruction and the number of affected families, right after the fire, Mayor Lenlen Oreta asked the Sanggunian to place the barangay under a state of calamity," Padua said.
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said the fire reached Task Force Bravo and razed 450 houses made of light materials.
Fire officer 3 Zea Mae Clemente said the fire reportedly started on the top of the roof of a house owned by Leonila Cortez on Governor Pascual Street in Sitio Sais at 12:58 p.m.
Six people suffered minor injuries during the blaze, Clemente added.
Firefighters had difficulty putting out the blaze because of strong winds, reports said.
At least 100 firetrucks went to extinguish the blaze until it was declared out at 4:21 p.m.
The damage to property was pegged at P4.5 million while the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Displaced residents are using the covered courts and schools in the barangay as temporary shelter.
Meanwhile, the local government said they would be providing food and construction materials to the affected residents to help them rebuild their homes.