Fire guts iconic Manila Post Office

Manila, Philippines – The Manila Post Office, an iconic national heritage site in the Philippines’ capital, was gutted by fire on Sunday night.

Reports from the Bureau of Fire Protection said the blaze had reached the first alarm by 11:41pm and the general alarm shortly before 6am the next morning.

By 7:22am, however, the fire was declared under control.

The Manila city government headed by Mayor Honey Lacuna – Pangan is now discussing assistance with the Philippine Post Office, while the Postmaster General Luis Carlos has ordered nearby branches to help clients.

In a statement, Carlos expressed his sadness  over the tragic incident that gutted the Post Office, a heritage site in itself and frequently visited by many people.

“We express grief and saddened on this unfortunate incident. We didn’t expect this to happen but we assured the public that all PHLPost branches is going business as usual. There is nearby post office in Manila and other parts in Metro Manila where the public can send their mails and packages,” he said.

“We are closely coordinating with the Bureau of Fire (Protection) on the possible cause of the fire,” he added.

Carlos said that they will look for temporary office and our letter carriers will be house at the nearby post office.

It was reported that fire started at the basement of the building and affected the rest of the structure.

A 43-year-old fire brigade volunteer was injured in the fire.

Authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire.