A huge fire sweeping through a shantytown outside the Philippine capital has left around 7,000 people homeless and destroyed at least 300 houses.
Firefighters in Manila were tackling the intense fires which razed homes to the ground in Quezon city on Sunday afternoon.
Fuelled by strong winds and scorching temperatures, the fire spread rapidly throughout the slums, fire chiefs said.
At least two people were injured.
Metropolitan Manila Fire Marshal Pablito Cordeta said this evening that around 200 firetrucks were still battling the fire.
The fire, which began around 3pm local time, was still burning at nightfall.
Liquid petroleum, sold in several stores in the shantytown, had further fuelled the flames.
Firefighters struggled to penetrate alleys, which were clogged by people trying to save their belongings and douse the flames themselves.
Residents wept as they watched their burning houses.
One homeowner, Glen Sardon, said: 'We failed to save anything except our clothes'.
Mr Cordeta said at least two residents were reported missing.
Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte said the De Los Santos College is being used as a temporary evacuation center for the affected residents.
Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the blaze.
Slum areas in the Philippine capital are vulnerable to fires because the houses, often made from salvaged wood, are built close together, sometimes even piled on top of one another.
Daily Mail
