MANILA, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Two people were killed in a fire that razed a condominium building in the Philippines' Chinatown before dawn on Wednesday, the Chinese New Year, the Bureau of Fire Protection said.
The bureau said the victims were women household helpers trapped in a burning unit on the 35th floor of the 56-story condominium when the fire broke out around 3:41 a.m. local time in Manila City's Binondo district.
Six other residents managed to sprint out of the burning unit.
However, firefighters failed to save the victims, who were fast asleep while the fire raged.
Firefighters extinguished the fire less than an hour later, preventing it from spreading to other units.
Firefighters are investigating the cause of the fire that allegedly started from the helpers' room. ■
