Fifteen people, including a 3-year-old child, died on Thursday in a fire that gutted a house used as a textile factory in a Metro Manila community, authorities said.
The fire broke out around 5 a.m. (9 p.m. GMT) in a two-story building in Manila, local fire official Aristotle Banaga said at a news conference.
Eighteen people were in the suburban home at the time of the fire, local community mayor Joy Belmonte said.
Three people managed to escape, the others died, including the home and business owner.
Video images of the fire posted on social media and confirmed by AFP show flames engulfing a wooden and concrete building in a residential area.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, Banaga said.
The building had a business license to sell shoes and bags, but was instead used to make and print T-shirts, officials said. The company had only three declared employees.
“We’ve seen a lot of violations of the law here,” Ms. Belmonte said. “That’s why there is such a tragic incident in our city,” she added.