At least seven people were killed and thousands left homeless as two fires struck the Philippine capital on Christmas Day, sparking riots as a slum went up in flames, Manila’s fire marshal said on Tuesday.
Six bodies were recovered and two other people were missing as a blaze erupted at dawn in a row of old apartments in the Baler section of northern Manila, said chief superintendent Santiago Laguna.
Suspected arsonists meanwhile set off a second blaze at a sprawling shantytown across the city, sparking rioting that left one man dead and two others arrested, he said in an interview that aired over DZBB radio.
“They [residents] started grabbing hoses from our firefighters, who could not do anything as they feared for their own safety,” Laguna said.
A man was beaten up and later died from his injuries in the melee as the blaze consumed the shantytown in the San Juan district, he added.
“They mistook him for a fireman,” he said of the victim, adding two suspected rioters were also arrested.
