Mammoth Tondo blaze injures 6

A massive fire engulfed a residential area in Vitas, Tondo, Manila, before lunchtime Saturday, reaching Task Force Bravo and that continued to rage as at press time, according to the Manila Fire Department.

Initial reports said five residents and one firefighter volunteer were injured.

Residents of Tenement Buildings 23 to 27 at Aroma Compound, Barangay 105 were affected by the blaze that started after 11 a.m.

As the shanties were made of light materials, the fire immediately spread, triggering Task Force Alpha that required at least 24 firetrucks to respond to quell the fire.

Task Force Bravo, which means more than 18 firetrucks must be deployed, was raised by Saturday afternoon.

At press time, the BFP had yet to declare the fire under control, as firemen and fire volunteers from neighboring cities continued to arrive.

Choppers tapped

The Philippine Air Force 505th Search and Rescue Brigade also deployed its helicopters that used Bambi buckets to help extinguish the fire.

A Bambi bucket is a lightweight collapsible container that releases water from underneath a helicopter on targeted areas, like during forest wildfires.

Meanwhile, Lorenzo Dalit, a volunteer firefighter of Alpha Fire Brigade Station in Balut, Tondo, said the Aroma compound was the same community where a fire broke out last 23 March, during which some firefighters were stabbed by residents who want to fight the fire themselves.

The area, adjacent to the Port Area, is privately owned land and is being repossessed by its owners.