By Wilson Adekumola
The historic post office in the Philippine capital Manila, has been reportedly gutted by fire on late Sunday.
Agency France-Presse reported that while disclosing this on Monday, the Bureau of Fire Protection stated that more than 80 fire trucks were sent to the decades-old landmark after the blaze broke out.
Reports revealed that it took the intervention of fire fighter who work tirelessly for seven hours to put out the fire it’s 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.
The Postmaster General, Luis Carlos while speaking with DZBB radios said, “The whole building has burned down from the basement all the way to the fifth floor.”
He stated further that the cause of the inferno still under investigated
It was learnt that fire brigades from across the capital deployed personnel to fight the blaze that left one volunteer firefighter with minor injuries.
The post office which was built in 1926, 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.
Carlos added that letters, parcels and the postal agency’s entire stamp collection were in the building and are likely destroyed.
