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dpa
Manila
Eight people were killed on Monday when a fire broke out at a residential area inside a campus of a state university in the Philippines, the Bureau of Fire Protection said.
Three people were also injured in the fire that razed over 80 houses at the University of the Philippines’ campus in the Manila suburban city of Quezon, the bureau’s initial report said.
The fire spread quickly through the houses, which were made from light materials, investigators said.
Authorities were still determining the cause of the fire, but it reportedly started from the bedroom on the second floor of one of the houses.
About 250 families or more than 1,000 individuals were affected by the fire, which caused damage worth an estimated 150,000 pesos (3,000 dollars), the bureau said.
Senior fire officer Greg Bichayda told AFP news agency that it took nearly two hours to extinguish the blaze.
“The fire spread quickly,” Bichayda said, adding that victims were unable to escape their homes.
He said six of those who died were children, but no further details of their ages were released.
“The houses consist of light materials. When the fire broke out, people were shocked,” Bichayda said.
“Our station was just nearby but they weren’t able to call us immediately.” The Philippines is one of the most densely-populated countries in the world, and its capital has a large number of residents per square kilometre.
Metro Manila, the region which comprises the capital and other cities including Quezon, has a population of about 13 million.
Manila
Eight people were killed on Monday when a fire broke out at a residential area inside a campus of a state university in the Philippines, the Bureau of Fire Protection said.
Three people were also injured in the fire that razed over 80 houses at the University of the Philippines’ campus in the Manila suburban city of Quezon, the bureau’s initial report said.
The fire spread quickly through the houses, which were made from light materials, investigators said.
Authorities were still determining the cause of the fire, but it reportedly started from the bedroom on the second floor of one of the houses.
About 250 families or more than 1,000 individuals were affected by the fire, which caused damage worth an estimated 150,000 pesos (3,000 dollars), the bureau said.
Senior fire officer Greg Bichayda told AFP news agency that it took nearly two hours to extinguish the blaze.
“The fire spread quickly,” Bichayda said, adding that victims were unable to escape their homes.
He said six of those who died were children, but no further details of their ages were released.
“The houses consist of light materials. When the fire broke out, people were shocked,” Bichayda said.
“Our station was just nearby but they weren’t able to call us immediately.” The Philippines is one of the most densely-populated countries in the world, and its capital has a large number of residents per square kilometre.
Metro Manila, the region which comprises the capital and other cities including Quezon, has a population of about 13 million.
