By Alexandria San Juan
A hundred families in Barangay Vasra, Quezon City greeted the new year on the streets after their houses were razed by a huge fire on Tuesday night.
Bureau of Fire Protection-Quezon City fire marshal Senior Superintendent Jaime Ramirez said the blaze started at the house of a certain Liza Obispo at Palanas C at 10:44 p.m.
According to probers, the fire started in the bedroom at the second floor of Obispo's two-storey house.
The fire was immediately raised to third alarm at 10:49 p.m., and then to fifth alarm at about 11:15 p.m. as the blaze spread to adjacent houses.
Firefighters also found it hard to enter the area because of the narrow streets.
The fire reached Task Force Alpha around 11:20 p.m. before it was declared out at 2:22 a.m., Wednesday.
At least 50 houses were destroyed in the fire that lasted for almost three hours, while no one was reported injured.
Forty-five trucks responded to the incident, Ramirez said.
The estimated damage to property was pegged at more or less P150,000.
Investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fire as further investigation is still ongoing.