A massive fire ripped through hundreds of homes in Manila, Philippines after the suspect reportedly caught his wife with another man and started the horrifying blaze
A massive fire which ripped through 300 homes was reportedly started by a jealous man who caught his wife with another man.
Hundreds of homes were caught in the blaze, which took hold in the Intramuros district of Manila, Philippines on Wednesday afternoon. People were left homeless as a result of the fire, which caused £20,000 worth of damage.
The suspect had recently been released from prison and had gone back to live with his wife in Barangay 655, according to local media reports. The man, identified locally as Burnok, had apparently only been released from prison the night before.
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He returned to discover his wife with another man, who he believes was her lover, The Daily Star reports. The ex-convict in his mid-30s has a history of previous convictions for robbery and other stints in jail, the Manila Bulletin reported.
Burnok was allegedly enraged after catching his wife ‘cheating’ and was seen leaving the home in a rush. But he came back later carrying a container filled with gasoline which he poured inside and around the home.
The dwelling was on the fourth floor of a residential block and the fire quickly took control of the building and spread to neighbouring properties. Furious residents of nearby apartments reportedly attacked the suspect, in revenge for the damage to their homes.
According to The Manila Times, Barangay 655 captain Johnny Yacub said the ex-convict was “beaten up”. He told the publication: “I’m not sure what else happened, because I told them not to hurt him, but villagers ganged up on him and beat him up.”
According to the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, the fire was first reported around 4:48pm with emergency crews battling for hours to get the flames under control. The blaze was finally extinguished at 11:30pm, almost seven hours after it first ignited.
Thick black smoke rose high over the city as the densely packed residential area caught on fire, with burning debris raining down onto homes built from light, flammable materials. Residents were forced to flee as the fast-moving fire raced through the neighbourhood with residents, workers and small vendors scrambling to escape the flames, some clutching children, pets and whatever belongings they could carry.
Firefighters faced significant challenges in containing the inferno due to limited water supply, water storage constraints, and narrow access roads, slowing suppression operations as crews struggled to prevent the flames from spreading further, the Manila Bulletin reported.
The suspect was reportedly taken into custody alive by police after residents badly beat him.
