A massive fire swept through crowded shanty town near the docks in Manila, destroying houses and leaving 15,000 people homeless, authorities in the Philippine capital said on Wednesday.

Seven people were injured in a fire that broke out late on Tuesday night in Parola Compound in Tondo, Manila, and raged for 10 hours as it spread rapidly, engulfing more than 1,000 makeshift houses, fire officer Edilberto Cruz told reporters. No fatalities were reported.</s>Residents gather after a fire destroyed more than hundreds of shanties at a community of informal settlers, according to authorities, in Parola Compound, Tondo city, metro Manila, Philippines February 8, 2017. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco

MANILA (Reuters) - A massive fire swept through a crowded shanty town near the docks in Manila, destroying houses and leaving 15,000 people homeless, authorities in the Philippine capital said on Wednesday.

Seven people were injured in fire that broke out late on Tuesday night and raged for 10 hours as it spread rapidly, engulfing more than 1,000 makeshift houses, fire officer Edilberto Cruz told reporters.

About 15,000 people were left homeless and were temporarily sheltered in evacuation centers, and their belongings, like television sets, washing machines and clothes were left on a major road, blocking trucks hauling containers at the port.

Only a week ago a worker was killed and more than a hundred injured at a huge industrial fire at factory south of the capital.

Fires are common in factories and shanty towns in Manila, one of the most populated cities in the world. In 2015, 74 workers were killed when they were trapped in a slipper factory north of the capital.</s>A massive blaze at an overcrowded slum in the Philippines capital of Manila, has left at least 15,000 people homeless.The fire swept through the shanty town after breaking out in the Parola Compound near the city's port late Tuesday night. It raged for 10 hours into Wednesday morning, according to authorities cited by Reuters.Hundreds of firefighters fought to contain the flames. Seven people were injured in the rapidly-spreading blaze, according to fire officer Edilberto Cruz."The houses in that place are all (made of) light materials. That is why the fire was quick to spread. We are just lucky that no-one was killed," he said, as reported by AFP. Those affected by the blaze have been evacuated and sheltered in temporary accommodation. Photos from the scene show residents fleeing the flames while carrying possessions including refrigerators,TVs and washing machines.Images taken in the immediate aftermath to the blaze was extinguished show the scale of the devastation.Meanwhile, the Philippines Red Cross was responding to a number of fires in other districts of Manila on Wednesday.Ambulances and fire tenders have been deployed to Malabon, part of Metro Manila, 8km (5 miles) from the Tondo region, as firefighters tackle a blaze in a residential area.The incidents comes a week after a huge industrial fire at a factory south of the capital claimed the life of one worker and injured more than a 100.Fires are common in factories and shanty towns in Manila, one of the most populated cities in the world.Last year 1,000 homes in Manila's Tondo slum district were gutted after firecrackers released to celebrate the New Year set a hut ablaze, sparking a raging fire.One man was killed and hundreds injured in the incident.</s>MANILA (REUTERS) - A massive fire swept through a crowded shanty town near the docks in Manila, destroying houses and leaving 15,000 people homeless, authorities in the Philippine capital said on Wednesday (Feb 8) .

Seven people were injured in the fire that broke out late on Tuesday night and raged for 10 hours as it spread rapidly, engulfing more than 1,000 makeshift houses, fire officer Edilberto Cruz told reporters.

About 15,000 people were left homeless and were temporarily sheltered in evacuation centres, and their belongings, like television sets, washing machines and clothes were left on a major road, blocking trucks hauling containers at the port.

Only a week ago a worker was killed and more than a hundred injured at a huge industrial fire at factory south of the capital.

Fires are common in factories and shanty towns in Manila, one of the most populated cities in the world. In 2015, 74 workers were killed when they were trapped in a slipper factory north of the capital.</s>A massive fire that broke out at a shantytown near Manila's port in the Philippines gutted more than 1,000 houses, rendering at least 15,000 people homeless.

According to reports, the blaze that raged overnight on Tuesday (7 February), was doused only in the early hours of Wednesday. Seven people suffered minor injuries, fire officer Edilberto Cruz said.

The fire department said the fire started near gate 7 in Parola Compound in Tondo, Manila, which is dotted with hundreds of shacks along narrow alleyways. It quickly spread to adjoining shanties, leaving several families without shelter.

According to social welfare officer Regina Jane Mata, three evacuation centres were set up to provide shelter, food and water for the 3,000 odd families, who lost their homes in the blaze.

Several residents of the area were spotted huddled together on nearby roads along with their belongings, including clothes and even electric fans and washing machines, which they managed to salvage, the Associated Press reported.

The fire also caused traffic to pile up on nearby roads in the area, blocking delivery trucks going to and from the port.

The cause of the fire is not clear. Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.</s>MANILA, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Residents of two Manila slums picked through the rubble of their gutted homes on Thursday after fires swept through parts of the Philippine capital this week, leaving more than 15,000 people homeless.

More than 750 families lost their homes in the shanty town of Malabon after a fire burned for six hours on Wednesday night, officials said.

Edna Purios said the fire spread so quickly her family fled without their belongings.

Purios, who lived with six of her children and three grandchildren, said the local government should help the community rebuild.

"Our only wish is to get some help with repairing our house because we have nowhere to sleep," she told Reuters Television.

There were no injuries reported in Malabon, fire investigator Alvino Torres said.

Seven people were hurt on Tuesday night when a fire raged for 10 hours in the shanty town of Tondo near the city's docks.

About 15,000 people were left homeless and were temporarily sheltered in evacuation centres, and their belongings, like television sets, washing machines and clothes were left on a major road, blocking trucks hauling containers at the port.

Only a week ago a worker was killed and more than 100 injured in a fire at factory south of the capital.

Fires are common in factories and shanty towns in Manila, one of the most populated cities in the world. In 2015, 74 workers were killed when they were trapped in a slipper factory north of the capital. (Reporting by Ronn Bautista, editing by Darren Schuettler)</s>MANILA
• As many as 15,000 people are homeless after a huge fire engulfed an overcrowded slum in Manila, destroying thousands of homes and sending residents fleeing with their few possessions.

The inferno started in a sprawling slum near the port late on Tuesday and raged for about 10 hours, as hundreds of firefighters from across the Philippine capital hauled their hoses across rickety tin roofs to reach the flames.

As the blaze whipped across the squalid area, sending a huge plume of smoke billowing into the night sky, residents ran for their lives carrying refrigerators, religious icons and other valuables.

Others, desperate to save their homes, used buckets of water to douse the fire.

About 3,200 homes, many made from little more than scrap wood, were destroyed and four people injured, Mr Edilberto Cruz, a fire investigator looking into the cause of the blaze, told reporters yesterday.

"The houses in that place are all (made of) light materials. That is why the fire was quick to spread. We are just lucky that no one was killed," he said.

Manila city government officials said between 9,000 and 15,000 people from the area, which is hit by fires almost every year, were left homeless.

At daylight, thousands of people gathered on surrounding streets, warily guarding the belongings they had managed to salvage in the chaos while they waited for food and other aid to arrive.

Temporary evacuation centres have been set up at nearby gyms and schools.

Fires are common in the city's densely populated slums where many residents still use candles to light their homes, according to the Manila fire department.

Nearly a quarter of Manila's 13 million residents live in slums due to poverty and a shortage of low-cost housing, studies have found.</s>MANILA, Philippines — About 15,000 residents of a shantytown beside Manila’s port have lost their homes in a fire that raged overnight before being put out Wednesday morning, officials said.

Fire department officials said 1,000 homes were gutted in the sprawling Parola Compound, where several families often share tiny houses running along narrow alleyways.

Fire officer Edilberto Cruz said seven people suffered minor injuries in the fire that broke out Tuesday night then quickly spread. No fatalities were reported.

Three evacuation centres were opened, and food and water are being provided to the 3,000 families who lost their homes, said welfare officer Regina Jane Mata.

But hours after the blaze was put out, many of the people were still huddled on a nearby road with their belongings, including clothes and even washing machines and electric fans.

The fire snarled traffic, blocking delivery trucks going to and from the port.</s>Seven people were injured in fire that broke out late on Tuesday night and raged for 10 hours as it spread rapidly, engulfing more than 1,000 makeshift houses, fire officer Edilberto Cruz told reporters.

About 15,000 people were left homeless and were temporarily sheltered in evacuation centers, and their belongings, like television sets, washing machines and clothes were left on a major road, blocking trucks hauling containers at the port.

Only a week ago a worker was killed and more than a hundred injured at a huge industrial fire at factory south of the capital.

Fires are common in factories and shanty towns in Manila, one of the most populated cities in the world. In 2015, 74 workers were killed when they were trapped in a slipper factory north of the capital.</s>- A massive fire swept through a crowded slum in the Philippine capital city of Manila, destroying houses and leaving up to 15,000 people homeless.Four people were injured in the fire that broke out on February 7 night and raged for 10 hours as hundreds of firefighters hauled their hoses across rickety, tin roofs to reach the flames.About 3,200 houses were destroyed, a fire investigator said, adding that all of these houses are made of light flammable materials.Manila authorities said between 9,000 and 15,000 people in the area were left homeless. Temporary evacuation centres have been set up nearby.According to the Manila fire department, such fires were common in the city’s densely populated slums where many residents still use candles to light their homes.Studies found that nearly a quarter of Manila’s 13 million residents live in slums due to poverty and a shortage of low-cost housing.-VNA
More than 10,000 people are left homeless after a fire ravages a densely populated neighborhood of the Philippines capital Manila.