Fire destroys historic Philippine post office building in Manila

Gulf Today Report

A huge fire destroyed a historic post office in the Philippine capital Manila, injuring seven people, officials said on Monday.

More than 80 fire trucks were sent to the decades-old landmark after the blaze broke out late Sunday, the Bureau of Fire Protection said.

Thick, black smoke billowed hundreds of metres into the sky as flames gutted the neo-classical Manila Central Post Office that overlooks the Pasig River.

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It took firefighters more than seven hours to get the inferno under control.

"The whole building has burned down from the basement all the way to the fifth floor," Postmaster General Luis Carlos told DZBB radio.

A fireman trains a hose outside the still smoldering Manila Central Post Office after it caught fire early on Monday. AP

The cause of the blaze was being investigated, he said.

The fire started before midnight in the basement of the neoclassical, five-story building and was brought under control on Monday morning, firefighters said.

Fire brigades from across the capital deployed personnel to fight the blaze. The damage bill is estimated at 300 million pesos ($5.4 million), the fire bureau said.

Six out of the seven people injured were firefighters.

Originally built in 1926, the post office was once considered the "grandest building" in Manila, according to its website.

It was destroyed in World War II as US forces recaptured the capital from Japanese occupation forces, and rebuilt in 1946.

The Philippine National Museum declared the building an "important cultural property" in 2018.

A man passes by the still smoldering Manila Central Post Office after it caught fire early in Manila, Philippines. AP

Letters, parcels and the postal agency's entire stamp collection were in the building and are likely destroyed, Carlos said.

An investigation was underway to determine the cause of the fire and what was damaged, officials said.

The Manila Central Post Office was one of the capital’s busiest office buildings but was closed when the fire started. The building was the country’s main mail-sorting and distribution hub and was the central office for the Philippine Postal Corporation.

Postal service in the Philippines began during the Spanish colonial period with horse-riding mail couriers.

The building, now recognized as a national landmark, was built in 1926 with high columns in the traditional neoclassical style. It was severely damaged during World War II and was rebuilt in 1946.

It is located along the Pasig River and on a main intersection of the capital's key roads.