A massive fire tore through a coastal shanty town in the Philippine capital on Sunday, leaving at least 2,000 families homeless as flames billowed for nearly eight hours. <\/p>\n
Drone footage from the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office showed raging orange flames razing densely packed stilt homes in Isla Puting Bato, a squalid area of Tondo, Manila. <\/p>\n
The Manila Fire District said around 1,000 houses were destroyed and roughly 8,000 people displaced in the blaze that broke out at 8 a.m. Sunday and burned until 4 p.m. <\/p>\n
Authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire disaster but blazes in Manila slums are often sparked by faulty electrical wiring or gas canisters. <\/p>\n
Isla Puting Bato sits in the district of Tondo, which is Manila\u2019s largest slum area home to roughly 654,220 people. Many live in shabby shacks across densely packed streets near a busy commercial port. <\/p>\n
There have been no immediate reports of casualties. <\/p>\n
Photos showed residents escaping the fire on makeshift rafts into the sea while others scrambled to salvage their belongings. <\/p>\n
Elvira Valdemoro, a 58-year-old Manila resident and shop owner was devastated by the damage. <\/p>\n
\u201cI feel bad because we have no livelihood and no home. Everything is gone. We don\u2019t know how we can eat. We are in a very bad situation, and it\u2019s almost Christmas,\u201d she told Reuters. <\/p>\n
Manila Mayor Maria Sheilah \u201cHoney\u201d Lacuna-Pangan visited Isla Puting Bato on Monday and spoke with survivors who spent the night in makeshift tents. <\/p>\n
\u201cPlease be patient. We will keep coming to deliver help. No one wanted this to happen,\u201d Lacuna-Pangan told residents. <\/p>\n
She urged residents to get registered and voluntarily evacuate to a temporary shelter, where meals and supplies would be delivered. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe will help all of you. Don\u2019t lose hope. Let\u2019s help each other out ahead of Christmas time, we really hope to get you back to your homes.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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