Fire razes 1,000 houses in Malabon, displaces nearly 2,000 residents

A fire in Barangay Catmon, Malabon City, gutted 1,000 houses and displaced nearly 2,000 residents on Wednesday.

The blaze, which started at 4:49 p.m. and was put out by 11:53 p.m., escalated to Task Force Alpha with over 40 fire trucks responding.

The affected area consisted of tightly packed houses made mostly of wood, allowing the fire to spread rapidly.

One resident shared that this was not the first time their sitio had been hit by a fire, describing this as the largest one yet.

Three individuals were injured: one resident treated at a health center, another experienced hyperventilation, and a firefighter was bitten by a dog.

Nearly 2,000 affected people sought temporary shelter at evacuation centers including Catmon Evacuation Center, Catmon Integrated School, Acacia Elementary School, and Tonsuya Covered Court.

Malabon Mayor Jeannie Sandoval ordered all city departments placed on high alert to provide affected residents with food, modular tents, medical services, and mobile water and sanitation facilities.