Thousands left homeless by Manila shanty fire

MANILA, July 10 (Reuters) Around 5,000 people were left homeless after a huge blaze swept through one of the biggest slum colonies in the Philippine capital today, killing one man and injuring six, fire and local officials said.

The three-hour fire, sparked at 4:30 a.m. by still unknown causes, ripped through the shanty town's narrow streets in Malabon, a coastal area in the capital's northern suburb.

''It is a disaster,'' Mayor Tito Oreta said, adding about 150 to 200 families lost their homes. ''Our problem now is setting up temporary shelters for the families because there were classes in schools normally used as evacuation centres during calamities.'' Narrow alleys prevented firefighters from getting close to the source of the fire which spread rapidly because most of the structures were made of light materials, such as plywood and galvanised iron sheets, said Oreta.

Fire officials said a man was killed after he was trapped inside his burning house while six others suffered burns, smoke inhalation and deep cuts while escaping from the inferno.

Reuters MQA VP1030