MANILA, Philippines - A 4-hour fire gutted the homes of an estimated 2,000 families in a residential area in Paco district in Manila.

The Bureau of Fire Protection officials in Manila raised general alarm on the blaze at Canonigo street corner Gomez street in Paco. This meant that all available firefighters in Metro Manila were called upon to assist in putting out the fire.

Firefighters said they were hampered by the narrow alleys in the area.

The blaze spread to 2 barangays of Manila due to the strong winds and the many houses built from light materials.

A statement of the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC), meanwhile, said that 1 person suffered from suffocation during the blaze.

The PNRC said Joseph Carlogermo was brought by its Emergency Response Unit team to the Ospital ng Maynila and admitted him at the emergency room.

A PNRC medic also treated 74-year-old Leonardo Aquino who reportedly experienced dizziness.
The cause of the blaze has yet to be determined.

Officials, meanwhile, have yet to determine an evacuation center for the affected residents.

Residents displaced by the blaze were seen placing on the streets and on a nearby playground whatever belongings they have managed to save from the blaze. With a report from Jenny Reyes, ABS-CBN News