Slum Dwellers After A Fire

If you think you've got it bad... Desperate slum-dwellers wade up to their EARS in a sludge after their homes burn down By Chris Parsons Last updated at 12:22 PM on 7th April 2011 Desperately wading through neck-high sludge surrounded by trash, rubble and filth, a pair of homeless Filipino men begin the search for their belongings hours after a catastrophic fire savaged hundreds of shanty town houses. These pictures of devastation show the appalling aftermath of a dawn fire which tore through a settlement in the Philippines, leaving up to 3,000 people homeless. The blaze in Maysilo village, near Manila, started early on Thursday morning and obliterated the residential district in the night, destroying hundreds of houses. Firefighters say the destructive fire started at a row of squatter houses and is thought to have been caused by an exploding liquefied petroleum gas tank. Up to their ears: Desperate residents scavenge through the filthy pools of debris in hope of recovering any possessions from their burnt-out homes Team effort: Young children are encouraged to join in the relief effort as families do whatever they can to salvage goods and reuseable items from the wreckage near their homes in the Philippines Homeless residents were left to sift through the charred carnage and wade across dirty pools of debris in the hope of retrieving any of their possessions. Men, women and children all had to pitch in around their blackened, wrecked homes as attempts were made by residents to recover anything valuable or reuseable. Emergency services struggled to contain the fast-spreading fire because many of the affected houses were very close together and made of light materials. Another resident in Malabon City sifts through the murky carnage to recover valuable items after the fire, which is thought to have left 3,000 homeless Repeat: The residential suburban settlement in Maysilo Village was previously devastated by a similar fire in 1995 Although no casualties were reported in the fire, the blaze gutted around 800 houses, leaving thousands homeless The Philippines capital city of Manila is no stranger to devastating fires, as several in recent years have wrecked other shanty towns like Maysilo village, which is among the poorest areas in the city. The huge blaze started at 2.24am on Thursday, and was tackled by firefighters from nearby Malabon City, as well as volunteer foremen on 30 other fire trucks from neighbouring cities. Fire crews managed to officially declare the fire extinguished by 7.15am, by which time it had decimated almost the entire settlement in Malabon, Manila. Investigators said no one was injured in the fire, as homeless residents temporarily housed at a nearby elementary school to receive aid. Frequent: Fires in Manila regularly decimate the city's shanty towns and often leave thousands without homes A filth-splattered child hands a piece of burnt-out furniture to another youngster, left, while two male Filipinos wade through wrecked TVs, timber and home foundations Malabon City mayor Tito Oreta called for immediate relief operations to help the affected families. Head of Malabon Fire Station, Fire Chief Insp. Rodrigo Reyes, said crews had no problem responding to the fire scene, but had difficulty getting close enough to the fire itself. Residents are left surrounded by burnt-out debris and filthy sludge from the fire, which broke out early on Thursday morning Homeless: Another youngster head-high in filth looks on in shock and disbelief as he surveys the extensive damage around his home He said firefighters had to make several holes at the entry point of the area for them to be able to prevent the fire from spreading further. Insp. Reyes also revealed that residents told him the latest blaze is not the first time the settlement has been devastated by fire. Families said another fire in 1995 did similar damage, levelling all houses in the area to the ground. Insp. Reyes said the cause of the fire was still under investigation, warning residents to be more vigilant and 'act as firemen in their own homes'.