A fire reached the third alarm Sunday afternoon in Barangay Pag-asa, Quezon City, leaving an undetermined number of residents homeless.

Reports said that the blaze broke out across from the national headquarters of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), despite rain in the area.

The fire was reported at 2 p.m. on Sunday and quickly spread through the residential area, forcing residents to evacuate.

Residents also assisted firefighters by participating in bucket relays, passing water to help extinguish the flames.

“The barangay itself helped. They helped each other with a bucket relay,” C/Insp. Marvin Mari, Quezon City District Operations chief for the BFP said in an interview.

Among those affected was Edgar, a jeepney driver who was working with his daughter when the fire started. While they were unable to save belongings like clothing, they were able to retrieve his daughter’s birth certificate.

“It’s good that I brought her because if I had not, maybe… If you were left you would have been caught in the fire,” Edgar said.

A portion of North Avenue was temporarily closed to traffic to allow firefighters access to the scene. Authorities declared the fire out after an hour. No injuries or casualties had been reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The number of homes affected and the extent of the damage are still being assessed as local authorities are working to provide assistance to the displaced residents.