A fire of still unknown origin gutted over 100 houses of informal settler families (ISFs) in Barangay Obrero, Quezon City, on Saturday night, keeping firefighters busy until dawn on Sunday.
Fire Sr. Supt. Ian Guerrero said the fire broke out at around 11:20 p.m. on Saturday and quickly spread to houses made of light materials.
FO3 Jay Valenia, the case investigator, on the other hand, said the blaze started in the bedroom of a two-story house owned by Niño Dela Cruz at No. 35 Makabayan St., Brgy. Obrero. The fire affected almost the entire informal settler community in the area.
Valenia added that the fire reached the third alarm, requiring around 24 fire trucks from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to respond to the incident, along with 20 other fire trucks from various volunteer fire stations. Five ambulances were also dispatched.
According to Valenia, firefighters had difficulty accessing the site due to narrow alleys, which served as the only entry and exit points to the community. They had to connect hoses to hydrants.
Firefighters also had to extend their fire hoses to connect to distant fire hydrants on Timog Avenue and Tomas Morato Avenue.
Around 143 families, or more than 300 individuals, lost their homes and have been temporarily housed at three evacuation centers in the barangay, including the nearby Don Alejandro Roces Sr. High School on Roces Avenue.
Guerrero declared the fire under control at around 4 a.m. on Sunday.
He said authorities are still conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the fire, which was initially reported to have been caused by an unattended candle, as well as the estimated cost of property damage.
On Sunday, residents returned to salvage their belongings and other useful construction materials.