Philippine slum fire leaves thousands homeless

Manila April 7 (IANS) A fire broke out in the shantytown of Bacoor killing one and displacing around 1 000 families media reports said.

The fire broke out at 4.30 p.m. on Wednesday with coastal winds and heat fanning the flames Efe news reported.

Around 600 houses were quickly engulfed because of the basic building materials that are vulnerable to fire used in the shacks across the 5-acre Barangay Maliksi 3 slum an epa correspondent reports.

Fire marshal superintendent Robert Pacis said that the four-hour fire was likely started by children playing with matches in a house.

An epa journalist reports that around four thousand people whose homes were destroyed by the blaze were being sheltered at the nearby Maliksi elementary school.

The government has no plans to relocate the families although an epa journalist reported that the slum dwellers will be housed at a temporary shelter until their homes can be rebuilt.

So far the local government has provided them with relief goods food and clothing.

Fires in the slums of the Philippines are common. In February a fire broke out in a Manila shantytown leaving more than 15 000 people homeless.

In January another blaze tore though the Manila suburb of Navotas displacing about 1 200 families.

--IANS
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