A raging blaze engulfed a residential area in Barangay Tejeros, Makati City before dawn Saturday, sending flames and thick smoke across tightly packed homes and jolting residents out of their sleep.

The fire broke out around 2 a.m. and quickly spread, forcing firefighters to raise a third alarm as crews battled the inferno for more than two hours. Authorities declared the fire under control at about 4:28 a.m., after dozens of families had already fled to safety.

At least six people were injured as residents scrambled to escape the burning houses, some leaping from windows and others dragging loved ones through narrow alleys choked with smoke.

Fire officials said investigators are still working to determine what sparked the blaze, which left several homes reduced to ashes in the densely populated neighborhood.

As daylight broke, rescuers pulled from the ruins the bodies of a senior citizen couple trapped inside their home when the flames closed in. The elderly husband and wife were declared dead at the scene, turning what began as a terrifying fire into a heartbreaking tragedy for the Tejeros community.