Catastrophic fire in Manila after man ‘caught wife with her lover’; 300 houses burnt

A massive fire broke out in hundreds of houses in Manila, Philippines, after the suspect allegedly caught his wife with another man and started the catastrophic fire.

A jealous man, who had caught his wife with another man, allegedly started the massive fire that engulfed 300 houses.

A fire that broke out on Wednesday afternoon in the Intramuros district of Manila, Philippines, engulfed hundreds of houses. The fire, causing £20,000 in damage, left people homeless.

According to local media reports, the suspect was recently released from prison and went back to live with his wife in Barangay 655. The man, identified locally as Burnok, had apparently been released from prison only the night before.

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Hundreds of people became homeless in this fire (Image: X)

He returned and found his wife with another man, whom he believed was her lover, The Daily Star reported. The nearly 30-year-old ex-convict has previous convictions for robbery and other prison crimes, the Manila Bulletin reports.

Bernok reportedly became angry after catching his wife ‘cheating’ and hurriedly left the house. But he later returned with a container filled with gasoline, which he poured in and around the house.

The residence was on the fourth floor of a residential block and the fire quickly took over the building and spread to neighbouring properties. Furious residents of nearby apartments reportedly attacked the suspect to avenge the damage caused to their homes.

Captain Johnny Yacob of Barangay 655 reported to The Manila Times that the ex-convict suffered a beating. He told the publication, “I’m not sure what else happened, because I told them not to hurt them, but the villagers got together and beat them up.”

According to the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, the fire was first reported around 4:48 p.m., and emergency workers battled for hours to bring it under control. The fire was finally extinguished at 11:30 pm, nearly seven hours after it first burnt.

The fire broke out in a densely populated residential area, causing thick black smoke to rise over the city and burning debris to fall on houses made of light, flammable materials. Residents were forced to flee as the fast-moving fire spread through the neighbourhood, and residents, workers and small vendors struggled to escape the fire, some clutching children, pets and whatever belongings they could carry.

Firefighters faced significant challenges in containing the fire due to limited water supplies, a lack of storage, and narrow access roads, slowing down suppression operations as crews struggled to prevent the flames from spreading further, the Manila Bulletin reported.

Residents reportedly beat the suspect severely, leading police to take him into custody alive.