MANILA — Four people were killed when a fire levelled hundreds of houses in a slum area in the Philippine capital Monday, a local fire department said.
The victims included a four-month-pregnant woman and two children, according to the fire department of Pasay City in metropolitan Manila.
About 4,500 people were left homeless by the fire, which began before dawn and quickly spread because the houses were made from light materials, the department said.
Investigators were still determining the cause of the fire, but some residents alleged it could be arson to hasten a plan to demolish their homes earlier than scheduled next year.
Filipinos look on as funeral parlour workers carry bodies of victims among debris following a fire that ravaged a slum area in Pasay City, south of Manila, Feb. 16. (EPA photo)
