Manila's slums an endless battle for firefighters

Manila's slums an endless battle for firefighters

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One scorching afternoon this month, inhabitants of a slum in the Philippine capital frantically hurled buckets of water to try to save their homes from a raging fire.

Six hours later, their efforts proved to no avail.

. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Erik De Castro
Destroyed houses are seen during a fire at a residential neighbourhood in Las Pinas.

There have been over 2,200 fires in Manila this year and the majority of these have occurred in slum areas, data from the Bureau of Fire Protection showed.

In a country with a yawning wealth gap, the hardest hit are the hundreds of thousands of urban poor who call the shanties home.

. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Erik De Castro
Residents attend a wake of their six relatives.

Marybeth Antier, 24, (not pictured) recalled with horror a recent fire that killed six members of her family. At their funeral, their bodies were squeezed into the two caskets she could afford.

"I saw the building where we live already ablaze," she said. "My child was inside but I could not enter anymore."

. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Erik De Castro
A fireman gives a signal to fellow firefighters as a shopping centre burns at the University of the Philippines campus in Quezon City.

For the capital's thousands of firefighters, the slums are sprawling, unregulated tinderboxes.

Tangles of drooping wires run from one electric post to another along the narrow alleys of the city's most neglected communities, crowded with shacks made from plywood and coconut tree lumber.

. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Erik De Castro
Electric wires are seen as a boy plays on the rooftop of Vitas Tenement, a government housing building, in Tondo.

Fire safety and building codes are unheard of.

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said the so-called informal settlers complicate efforts to save property and lives.

. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Erik De Castro
A man cries after his house was gutted by a fire at a residential neighbourhood of an informal settlement in Muntinlupa.

Fire engines struggle to navigate along pathways littered with vehicles, food carts and stalls.

Faulty electrical connections, often dangerously rigged and overloaded by residents, unattended stoves and carelessly tossed cigarettes are the main causes of the fires.

. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Erik De Castro
A destroyed house is seen after a fire at a residential neighbourhood in Pasig.

Blazes quickly engulf the shanty communities, said Pablo Sy, a pipe thread machine operator in Manila's Santa Cruz district.

"I was cooking and then we noticed the fire on our rooftop at the third floor. Everyone panicked," he said, recalling the first fire he experienced.

"Everything was burned. We weren't able to save anything because it spread so quickly."

. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Erik De Castro
Shop workers bring out office equipment outside a shopping centre being gutted by a fire at the University of the Philippines campus in Quezon City.

Hours after a fire is put out, residents salvage whatever they can reuse and rebuild their homes - just as flammable as they were before.

. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Erik De Castro
Firefighter Milan Miranda rests at Paco Fire Station.

At a fire station near the capital's biggest park, firefighters are on duty for 24-hour shifts. While they wait, they doze, work out, play sports or practise drills.

Firefighter Milan Miranda is set to retire next year after battling blazes for 32 years. He said he was inspired by his father and uncle to join the ranks, despite the dangers.

. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Erik De Castro
Firefighting protective gear hangs at Paco Fire Station.

"Every fire is a challenge, especially when we lack equipment like breathing apparatus so we inhale smoke and endure the heat, risking our health and lives," Miranda said.

“But this is the career given to me by God."

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Slideshow

Vitas Tenement, a government housing building, stands with a new residential condominium building seen in the background in Tondo.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Erik De Castro

Vitas Tenement, a government housing building, stands with a new residential condominium building seen in the background in Tondo.

A resident watches television inside a room at Vitas Tenement.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Erik De Castro

A resident watches television inside a room at Vitas Tenement.

Flames are seen from an LPG stove in the kitchen of a resident at Vitas Tenement.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Erik De Castro

Flames are seen from an LPG stove in the kitchen of a resident at Vitas Tenement.

Residents watch as a fireman demonstrates how to use a fire extinguisher during a fire prevention measures of Bureau of Fire Prevention government agency at BASECO compound in Tondo.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Erik De Castro

Residents watch as a fireman demonstrates how to use a fire extinguisher during a fire prevention measures of Bureau of Fire Prevention government agency at BASECO compound in Tondo.

Residents walk outside Paco Fire Station in Paco.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Erik De Castro

Residents walk outside Paco Fire Station in Paco.

Firefighters carry a fire victim to an ambulance during a fire at a residential neighbourhood of an informal settlement in Muntinlupa.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Erik De Castro

Firefighters carry a fire victim to an ambulance during a fire at a residential neighbourhood of an informal settlement in Muntinlupa.

Firefighters wait for water supply during a fire at a shopping centre in the University of the Philippines campus in Quezon City.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Erik De Castro

Firefighters wait for water supply during a fire at a shopping centre in the University of the Philippines campus in Quezon City.

A shopping centre burns during a fire at the University of the Philippines campus in Quezon City.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Erik De Castro

A shopping centre burns during a fire at the University of the Philippines campus in Quezon City.

A man sits in a narrow alley as his house burns in Muntinlupa.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Erik De Castro

A man sits in a narrow alley as his house burns in Muntinlupa.

Fire victims rest inside a temporary shelter after their houses were gutted by a fire in Sta Cruz.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Erik De Castro

Fire victims rest inside a temporary shelter after their houses were gutted by a fire in Sta Cruz.

A man pours water on his body during a fire at a residential neighbourhood of an informal settlement in Muntinlupa.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Erik De Castro

A man pours water on his body during a fire at a residential neighbourhood of an informal settlement in Muntinlupa.

A man carries a statue of Baby Jesus during a fire at a residential neighbourhood in Las Pinas.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Erik De Castro

A man carries a statue of Baby Jesus during a fire at a residential neighbourhood in Las Pinas.

A framed images of Jesus and Virgin Mary are seen on a wall inside a house gutted by a fire in Pasig.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Erik De Castro

A framed images of Jesus and Virgin Mary are seen on a wall inside a house gutted by a fire in Pasig.

Fire victims collect recyclable materials after a fire at a residential district in Quezon City.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Erik De Castro

Fire victims collect recyclable materials after a fire at a residential district in Quezon City.

A woman walks in an alley next to her house destroyed by a fire at a residential district in Quezon City.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Erik De Castro

A woman walks in an alley next to her house destroyed by a fire at a residential district in Quezon City.

A resident rests inside his house gutted by a fire in Quezon city.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Erik De Castro

A resident rests inside his house gutted by a fire in Quezon city.

A boy stands in the ruins of his family's house gutted by a fire at a residential district in Pasig.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Erik De Castro

A boy stands in the ruins of his family's house gutted by a fire at a residential district in Pasig.

Partially-burnt dvd's are seen inside a gutted house after a fire at a residential district in Pasig.
. Manila, Philippines. Reuters/Erik De Castro

Partially-burnt dvd's are seen inside a gutted house after a fire at a residential district in Pasig.