A devastating fire ripped through Isla Puting Bato, a shanty town in Manila’s Tondo district, on Sunday, leaving at least 2,000 families homeless and displacing an estimated 8,000 people, CNN reports.
The blaze, which raged for eight hours, destroyed around 1,000 homes.
Drone footage released by the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office showed intense flames engulfing the densely packed stilt houses characteristic of the area. The fire, which began around 8 a.m., burned until 4 p.m., leaving a scene of widespread destruction.
Heartbreaking images emerged showing residents fleeing the inferno on makeshift rafts into the nearby sea, while others desperately attempted to salvage what few belongings they could from their burning homes.
The Manila Fire District is currently investigating the cause of the fire. However, faulty electrical wiring and gas canisters are frequently cited as the culprits in similar blazes within Manila’s impoverished slums.
Isla Puting Bato, located in Tondo – Manila’s largest slum area with a population of roughly 654,220 – is characterized by its cramped, substandard housing and proximity to a busy commercial port. The fire highlights the precarious living conditions faced by many residents in the area.
