On Friday, a fire engulfed a five-story commercial and residential building in Manila’s Chinatown in the Philippines, resulting in at least 11 fatalities, including the “owner’s wife.”
The blaze started in a five-story old building in the Binondo district of Manila at around 7:30 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time (23:00 GMT). Fire officials stated that the cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
Binondo is a densely populated riverside area in the capital, home to one of the oldest Chinatowns in the world – Manila’s Chinatown (Chinatown). The city’s fire department reported in a preliminary assessment that approximately 14 fire trucks managed to control the blaze after more than two hours of battling.
According to reports from the Associated Press, fire investigator Roderick Andres mentioned that the fire originated from a restaurant on the ground floor, with several staff members from the restaurant among the deceased. He added that most of the victims were found on the second and third floors, with no reports of any missing persons yet.
Nelson Ty, an elected official in the affected community, informed DZRH radio that the “owner’s wife also tragically perished.”
Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna extended her deepest condolences to the families of the victims and ordered inspections to ensure that old buildings comply with safety regulations and standards.
The Philippines has a history of deadly fires caused by lax enforcement of safety regulations.
Last August, a residential and warehouse building fire resulted in 16 fatalities; in May 2023, a massive blaze engulfed the historic Central Post Office building in the capital.
In 2017, a shopping center fire in Davao City in the south claimed the lives of 37 call center agents and a security guard.
In 1996, a nightclub fire in Quezon City, the capital, claimed the lives of 162 people, mostly students celebrating the end of the school year. About 400 people were inside the Ozone discotheque when the fire broke out. Due to the emergency exit being blocked by a neighboring new building, many were unable to escape.
(This article draws on reports from Reuters)