Fire razed residential areas in Daang Tubo, Barangay UP Campus on Monday, leaving 273 families displaced and affecting 987 individuals in total, reported the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).
The 987 affected residents are currently seeking shelter at evacuation centers in Pook Amorsolo and Dagohoy and the Institute of Mathematics.
More than 200 families have evacuated from their homes into evacuation centers within Diliman. (Eunicito Barreno/Philippine Collegian)
As of 4:00 p.m., barangay health workers are currently accommodating 23 individuals with minor injuries, including eight senior citizens with high blood pressure and 15 children with asthma, the youngest being 2 months old.
BFP declared fire out as of 3:00 p.m.
A total of 27 fire trucks and 27 volunteers were deployed to extinguish the fire after it was first raised to the fire department at 9:39 a.m. Firefighters declared the fire under control as of 11:21 a.m., but fire volunteers continued to manage the fire after an electrical transformer exploded and power went out.
The fire started in a two-storey residential house in Block 5, said Lead Chief of Operations for Quezon City Fire District Marvin Mari. Around an hour after, the fire spread to its neighbor Block 4.
The houses being built mostly out of light materials and the accompanying strong winds helped the fire spread easily to neighboring areas, said Mari.
The fire quickly spread from one house to another, leaving nothing behind for the residents. (Eunicito Barreno/Philippine Collegian)
BFP has yet to declare the main cause of the fire as investigations continue. Information recovered will be endorsed to the Philippine National Police for further investigation.
A fire also erupted in Pook Dagohoy on Jan. 27, where four houses burned down and 18 families were displaced. ●
With reports from Reg Dipasupil, John Gabriel Mercado, Eunicito Barreno, and Ace Cañaveral.
