Manila International Film Festival has been postponed until further notice due to the ongoing wildfires raging in Los Angeles.

WATCHING the continuing media coverage of the Los Angeles firestorm reminded me of the fire that swept the depressed area behind the Paco railroad station in Manila during the 1970s. The house where I was born and raised was razed to the ground quickly as firemen were hampered by narrow streets that panicking residents had unfortunately blocked.

Dozens of people are believed to have died in the Palisades and Eaton fires, which have burned down whole swaths of communities