About 300 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) were evacuated after a fire broke out in front of their detention facility in Santa Cruz, Manila, on Thursday evening.

According to a report by RH Noche Cacas, the blaze started in a residential area shortly after 9:00 PM. The fire reached the fifth alarm, prompting immediate action from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).

Firefighters successfully contained the flames, and the fire was declared out as of 6:28 AM on Friday.

Meanwhile, affected residents spent the night at a designated evacuation center.

Investigators are currently looking into the cause of the fire.