A fire in the Philippines has claimed the lives of eight people, including children.

According to local officials, eight people died in a fire that ripped through scores of homes near the Philippines capital Manila, including six children.

The fire, which began at 5:00 a.m. local time on Monday (22:00 a.m. BST on Sunday), destroyed 80 homes.

It began on the second floor of a house in a packed settlement within the University of the Philippines' huge campus in Quezon City.

The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.

The fire took about two hours to put out, according to senior fire officer Greg Bichayda of the AFP news agency.

Mr. Bichayda said the fire spread swiftly and that victims were unable to flee their homes.

He said six of the people that died were youngsters, but he didn't say how old they were.

"Light materials are used in the construction of the dwellings. People were stunned when the fire burst out "Mr. Bichayda explained.

"Our station was only a short distance away, yet they were unable to contact us right away."

The Philippines is one of the world's most densely inhabited countries, with a high population density per square kilometer in its capital.

Metro Manila, which includes the capital and surrounding areas such as Quezon, has a population of roughly 13 million people.

Thousands of people live in densely populated areas where fires are frequent.