Fires in informal settlements in India and the Philippines

The ability to make fire is one of society‟s earliest and most essential innovations, but fire poses a significant threat when it gets out of control (Alam and Baroi, 2003, p.35). The impact of fire is frequently severe and has a devastating impact on its victims. Fires which affect the poorest of the poor are especially damaging; those people who are most vulnerable to the impact of fires yet least well equipped to deal with them (Ibem, 2011, p.27). Informal settlements (or slums) are widespread in the urban areas of many developing countries. Slums are particularly vulnerable to the risks posed by many disasters and are often home to impoverished communities who are frequently the poorest and most marginalised urban population (Pharoah, 2009, p.105)....