Fire destroys hundreds of Philippine shanties

Philippine officials say a huge fire, believed to have been ignited by firecrackers, has razed hundreds of shanties in a creekside slum in metropolitan Manila in one of more than a dozen fires that were reported as Filipinos welcomed the New Year. [caption id=“attachment_2025681” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  AP[/caption] Village officer Noel Carino said the fire, apparently sparked by firecrackers set off by children, raged after dawn Thursday and spread rapidly due to strong winds through nearly a kilometer (mile) row of shanties in a village in suburban Quezon city. A firefighter and a resident were injured. The Bureau of Fire Protections said at least 14 fires were reported as Filipinos ushered in 2015 with raucous parties nationwide, some of them ignited by firecrackers. At least seven people died in two of the fires. AP