1,000 displaced as Tondo fire rages through residential compound
Photo Courtesy of the Manila DRRMO
A fire broke out late Saturday night, September 13, in Happy Land, Tondo, Manila, tearing through a densely populated residential area and leaving more than 1,000 residents displaced.
No fatalities were reported, but three individuals sustained injuries during the incident.
A 32-year-old suffered a laceration on the left knee, an 18-year-old had a wound near the right eye, and a 28-year-old sustained cuts on the left little finger and left posterior arm.
The fire started at Building 7 in the Helping Compound along Road 10, a two-storey residential structure made of light materials and reportedly owned by a certain “Pandoy.”
The Bureau of Fire Protection received the alarm at 8:27 p.m. It initially raised the incident to the first alarm at 8:30 p.m..
It was escalated to the second alarm at 8:31 p.m., the third alarm at 8:36 p.m., and continued to spread until it reached the fourth alarm by 9:36 p.m.
The situation further worsened, prompting the declaration of Task Force Alpha at 10:48 p.m. and Task Force Bravo at 10:53 p.m.
The fire was declared under control at 2:46 a.m. on September 14 and officially extinguished by 6:02 a.m. on the same day.
The blaze affected approximately four residential buildings, displacing an estimated 500 families or over 1,000 individuals.
Initial damage has been pegged at around P1.5 million.
BFP stated that the fire is believed to have originated on the second floor of the structure.
However, the exact cause remains under investigation as authorities continue to assess the full extent of the damage.