2024 Manila fires

On the second floor in one home in Isla Puting Bato, a fire started in approximately 8:00 a.m., quickly spreading to other homes. After an eight-hour battle, firefighters ended the fire, at 4:07 p.m. ^[2] No casualties were reported, though 1,000 homes, housing about 2,000 families and 8,000 individuals were destroyed.^[1][3]

A resident in the area said that she "lost everything",^[4] another resident said, "everything was gone" and added, "We don't know how we can eat. We are in a very bad situation, and it's almost Christmas."^[3] After a meeting by the Manila City Council, where 21 out of the 38 councilors were present, placed a state of calamity over districts 1 and 4 of Sampaloc, Manila. Isla Puting Bato was also covered in the alert. The blaze damaged a large part of the city's economy. After the declaration, a humanitarian response was requested.^[5] 36 fire trucks and four fire boats were deployed by the national fire department.^[4]