Blazes raze Caloocan warehouse, Malabon residential areas

A pre-dawn fire destroyed a warehouse containing plastic packaging materials and juice products in Caloocan City on Sunday, just one day after a separate blaze left 600 people homeless in neighboring Malabon.

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) reported the Caloocan fire began at 4:21 a.m. at a facility on J. Mariano Street in Barangay 95. The blaze quickly escalated to a third alarm by 5:41 a.m., drawing more than 20 fire trucks and volunteer units.

Firefighters said highly combustible materials, including plastics and chemicals, hampered efforts to contain the flames.

The warehouse roof eventually collapsed, and thick black smoke was visible from the EDSA highway, where responding fire trucks occupied two lanes of traffic.

No injuries were reported, as the factory was closed for the weekend. A lone caretaker managed to escape safely.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire, which occurred hours after employees reportedly held a Christmas party at the site. The fire was declared under control at 8:50 a.m.

The Sunday morning incident followed a massive fire Saturday night in Barangay Concepcion, Malabon, that razed approximately 100 homes.

The Malabon fire broke out around 8 p.m. and affected about 150 families, or 600 residents, only five days before Christmas. Fire officials estimated the property damage at P300,000.

Lead arson investigator SF04 Armando Inciong said crews struggled to reach the seat of the fire because it started in the middle of a dense area of light-material housing blocked by walls.

"We had to punch holes through walls just to penetrate the interior," Inciong said.

Displaced residents expressed heartbreak over losing their homes and holiday preparations.

Elvie Tapado, a local resident, wept as she described losing everything intended for the upcoming holiday. Her daughter, Ellysa Mae Solano, said she was unable to save her belongings for her first day of work scheduled for Monday.

The BFP is still determining the cause of the Malabon fire but issued a public reminder to remain vigilant during the holiday season by unplugging appliances and monitoring cooking equipment.