What Caused the Fire at the Manila Central Post Office?
The Manila Central Post Office is one of the city's most iconic landmarks. Built in 1926, the original building was designed by Juan M. Arellano and Tomás Mapúa. The historic building was one of those damaged in World War II during the Battle of Manila and was rebuilt in 1946. Since its completion, the Manila Central Post Office been the home of the Philippine Postal Corporation.
Here's everything we know so far about what caused the fire.
When did the fire break out?
The first fire alarm at the Manila Central Post Office was triggered in the basement past 11:41 p.m. on Sunday, May 21. A GMA report said staff woke up to thick smoke, they then immediately contacted the fire department. It was raised to a second alarm at 1:28 a.m., third alarm at 2:17 a.m., fourth alarm at 4:28 a.m., and a fifth alarm at 4:32 a.m. A general alarm level was then placed at 5:54 a.m. According to the Bureau of Fire Protection, the fire spread quickly as the room stored paper and wood materials.
Several firefighters and more than 80 fire trucks battled the fire. Five were injured with one sustaining a laceration at his left hand. Two civilians were also hurt, one with a possible fracture. The fire was declared under control at 7:22 a.m. In total, it took firefighters seven hours to get the fire under control.
"Mga kahoy, mga papel, may kalumaan na. Kung makikita niyo, umabot hanggang third floor kasi ang mga sahig, kahoy lahat. Totally burned ang lahat ng structure natin, 100 percent," Bureau of Fire Protection regional director Nahum Tarroza said.
What started the fire?
Chief of staff of the postmaster general Mark Laurente says the fire started from the basement's south side. It's there that the maintenance room and storage room for the Mega Manila Office are located. The exact cause of the fire is still undetermined.
Senator Loren Legarda has already urged authorities to properly investigate the cause of the fire.
How much damage was caused?
The initial estimate of the fire's damage has reached P300 million. Among those destroyed were letters, parcels, and the postal agency's entire stamp collection. Officials clarified that other post offices are handling other parcels, letter, and National IDs as such only Manila will be affected.
The post office's operations will be transferred to a center in Delpan.
"We're fixing already where the Manila Central Post Office will be. We have an area already. We have an old building at the side of the main building, we’re fixing it now, other offices will stay here," postmaster general Luis Carlos said. "There's also a building at the back, it is a two-story canteen, it used to be a canteen... We're using that as part of the offices ng mga corporate."
Will the building be repaired?
A Senate inquiry into the fire has been filed by Senator Robin Padilla. "The Manila Central Post Office is a tangible representation of the nation’s culture and history, and its damage is a blow to the country’s cultural heritage," he wrote. "The recent incident underscores the vulnerability of our national cultural heritage to fire and other hazards and highlights the urgent need to revisit and assess the effectiveness of existing preservation and protection measures."
Plans for repairs are already underway as confirmed by Senate finance committee chairman Sonny Angara in a tweet: SP Zubiri messaged that we have to work w/ the budget dept towards finding funds to help restore the Post office (which had a fire). Agree it’s a national treasure - designed by national artist JUan Arellano 🙏🇵"
Though, structural engineers will have to assess the integrity of the building first.
