The World - News from March 5, 1987

Fire engulfed a row of apartments in a crowded Manila suburb, killing 18 Filipinos in their sleep, police said. Police investigator Efren Jota said the fire began shortly after midnight in Marikina and burned for more than an hour. He said authorities found the charred bodies of members of two families, including nine children, in the ashes. The apartments had been converted from an old wood-frame shoe factory and had no fire escapes. Cause of the fire was not established immediately but faulty wiring is suspected.