8 people died from a large fire in Manila, Philippines

Huge fire kills 8 people in Manila, Philippines – Illustration: INQUIRER.NET

The fire broke out at around 5 a.m. on the second floor of a crowded, informally built house on the campus of the University of the Philippines, fire officer Greg Bichayda told AFP news agency.

By 6:35 a.m. the fire was under control. Around 7:00 on the same day, after almost 2 hours, the fire brigade extinguished the fire.

In addition to the eight people identified as dead, three others were injured and 80 houses in the residential area burned down. According to the fire department, the fire affected about 250 families.

According to Mr. Bichayda, the fire spread so quickly that the victims were trapped in the house, unable to escape.

Mr. Bichayda said the houses are made from lightweight materials. When there is a fire, people may be very surprised and do not have time to react. “Our fire station was nearby but they didn’t call us in time,” he said.

According to AFP news agency, there are more than 13 million people living in the capital Manila, of which tens of thousands live in densely poor neighborhoods. Fires are common in this area.