A huge fire at a sprawling shanty-town in the Philippines has left around 4,000 families homeless. Some 800 shanties were burned down in the fire this morning at the Muntinlupa City of the capital Manila. The fire started at dawn and lasted for at least six hours. A major expressway was closed because of thick smoke which stranded thousands of motorists. Local authorities have given affected families temporary shelter and food assistance. The cause of the fire is being investigated, but fire officials say extreme heat in recent months made the area dry and that helped the fire spread.