Thousands homeless after fire sweeps through Philippine city slum

MANILA: A fire that raged for seven hours through a crowded Manila slum community killed two people and  left close to 1,500 families homeless, fire authorities said on Monday.

More than 5,000 people were temporary housed in four public schools in Mandaluyong City, to the east of downtown Manila, as fire protection officials investigated the cause of the fire, which destroyed more than 500 houses on Sunday.

Damage was estimated at 10 million pesos ($203,800). A  blaze destroyed 800 houses in the same community last year.

"The fire spread rapidly because the houses were made of light materials and the roads were so narrow," a fire official said, adding the two casualties had been trapped in their homes.