Fire hits housing area in Makati

Fire of undetermined origin hit a housing area in Makati City Friday afternoon, a radio report said. It was the third fire to hit Metro Manila in the last 24 hours and as Filipinos prepare to celebrate Christmas Day. Radio dzBB's Denver Trinidad reported the fire at Building 5 of the Guadalupe Bliss housing area had reached the fifth alarm as of 3:30 p.m. The housing site is located along J.P. Rizal Street in Makati City. There was no initial report of damage or casualty. It was the third fire to hit a residential area in Metro Manila in the last 24 hours, after fires in Muntinlupa City and Baseco Compound in Manila. No fatalities were reported in the incidents. Earlier, firefighters spent Christmas Eve going around residential areas in Quezon City to remind residents to take preemptive measures and precautions against fires during the holidays. Radio dzBB's Allan Gatus reported firefighters led by city fire marshal Senior Superintendent Bobby Baruelo particularly warned against lighting firecrackers in houses. On Thursday night, a fire destroyed some 500 houses in Muntinlupa City, rendering up to 2,000 families homeless. Several families in Manila's Baseco compound also face a bleak Christmas after a fire razed their houses early Friday. The Bureau of Fire Protection's Metro Manila unit had ordered firefighters to be on alert, and prohibited firemen from drinking, taking vacations and leaving their posts. — LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV