Massive Philippine blaze leaves thousands homeless

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philippineA huge fire that swept through a crowded Manila shanty town has razed more than 800 homes, leaving thousands homeless after they were forced to flee for their lives from the towering flames, officials said Thursday.

Residents joined forces with firefighters to battle Wednesday’s blaze which spread quickly among the narrow alleys, helping smash down the walls of makeshift houses to allow crews access to the flames. People evacuated their homes carrying young children and whatever possessions they could salvage, with thousands forced to seek shelter in makeshift tents at a local park. Despite the devastation, no one was killed in the disaster and only four people were injured as they clambered over their homes to escape, authorities said.

Desperate locals called out “over here, over here” to a military helicopter which was drafted in to dump water on the blaze, after fire engines could not reach the heart of the inferno in the sprawling shanty town. “The alleys were too narrow and people were rushing out. Even worse, the wind was strong and fanned the flames,” said chief fire marshall Nahum Vitarosa. (AFP)

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