Manila housing fire kills eight people

Six children were among the victims

Fire rips through Manila killing six children

A citizen looks on at burnt belongings and debris scattered in a residential compound following a fire in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines 02 May 2022.  Eight people, including three minors, died in the blaze that hit some 80 houses according to the Bureau of Fire Protection.   EPA / ROLEX DELA PENA
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Eight people, including six children, died when fire ripped through a poor community in the Philippine capital of Manila on Monday.

The inferno destroyed 80 houses.

Three others were injured in the blaze, which started at about 5am local time on the second floor of a house in a crowded settlement inside the sprawling campus of the University of the Philippines.

It took nearly two hours to extinguish the fire, AFP reported, citing a senior fire officer.

An investigation into the cause was under way.

The victims were trapped inside their homes as the fire spread quickly.

Their ages are not yet known, but six were minors.

More than 13 million people live in the densely populated capital, with tens of thousands in overcrowded slums where fires are common.

Many of the residents have fled rural poverty to live in Manila, where there are more jobs.

Updated: May 02, 2022, 9:17 AM