Fire kills 8 in southern Philippines

Police say a fire has swept through a commercial building in the southern Philippines, killing eight workers who lived in Manila.

Police say a fire has swept through a commercial building in the southern Philippines, killing eight workers who lived in Manila.

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Police in Cagayan de Oro city say the workers were unable to escape from the pre-dawn fire on Saturday. Five others escaped but were injured.

Arson investigators say the building, used for wholesaling canned goods, had been fortified with a steel gate and had narrow passages to stop burglars that also hampered escape and rescue efforts. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Cagayan de Oro is about 485 miles (780 kilometers) south of Manila on the main southern island of Mindanao.