Fire broke out in an eight-story commercial building in Santa Cruz, Manila early Monday, causing heavy traffic and disrupting operations of the nearby Light Rail Transit 1.
The blaze, which reached fifth alarm, hit Good Earth Plaza along Avenida Rizal corner Bustos Street around 5:20 a.m. Reports said the fire started in a fast-food restaurant on the building’s ground floor.
At least 20 people on the sixth floor of the nearby Paradise Hotel have been evacuated. No one was reported hurt in the incident.
LRTA deputy administrator Cesar Chavez SAID operations of the LRT-1 from Carriedo Station to Monumento Station and back were suspended because the fire was too close to the trains.
He said LRT-1 trains from Central Station to Baclaran and vice-versa were still operational.