On Sunday night, a massive fire broke out in the historic Manila Central Post Office in the Philippines. The fire continued for more than seven hours through the night before it was finally brought under control. The Bureau of Fire Protection raised the situation to the highest fire alarm level, and thick smoke was seen billowing out from the windows of the neoclassical building, which is known for its grand entry lined with ornate columns.
Director of the National Capital Region's Bureau of Fire Protection, Nahum B. Tarroza, said that the internal wooden structure of the building was burned all the way from the basement to the third floor. Tarroza believes that papers, books, and mail possibly fueled the flames. An investigation will be launched into the fire, and investigators haven't ruled out the possibility of an electrical fault or arson.
The Manila Central Post Office was designed by Filipino architects Juan M. Arellano and Tomás Mapúa and was first built in 1926. The building was severely damaged during World War II but was rebuilt and preserved most of its original structure. In 2018, it was declared as an "important cultural property" due to its exceptional cultural, artistic, and historical significance to the Philippines.
The post office building currently houses the Philippine Postal Corporation, the government-run postal service that handles regular mail, parcels, and special stamp collections. The fire caused an estimated $5.4 million (300 million Philippine pesos) in damages, according to the Bureau of Fire Protection.
As the building was declared a national heritage zone, no other type of structure is allowed to be built on the site other than the historical post office. Manila Mayor Maria Sheilah "Honey" Lacuna-Pangan said that the city of Manila will work with the national government to jointly help restore the original structure of the Manila Central Post Office where it once stood. She also added that national identification cards were spared from the fire as they were stored in another city, ensuring that they were not damaged.