More than 600 houses have been destroyed leaving thousands of people homeless after a huge fire razed a slum in a suburb of the Philippine capital, civil defence officials say.
There were no immediately confirmed fatalities but officials said the smoke was too thick to thoroughly search the scene, where witnesses said they saw at least one firefighter injured as he battled the blaze.
The inferno broke out in the early afternoon on Sunday and raged into the night, forcing city authorities to close down a major highway as it was clogged with fire trucks.
It spread rapidly in the slum in Quezon city because of strong winds and the scorching summer heat.
The cause of the fire is still unknown, Metro Manila officials said.
Metropolitan Manila fire marshal Pablito Cordeta says about 200 firetrucks were battling the fire that was still burning at nightfall.
Firefighters struggled to penetrate alleys, which were clogged by people trying to save their belongings.
Residents wept as they watched their burning houses.
A weeping resident, Glen Sardon, said: "We failed to save anything except our clothes."
Cordeta said at least two residents were reported missing.
Slum areas in the Philippine capital are vulnerable to fires because the houses, often made from salvaged wood, are built close together, sometimes even piled on top of one another.
