(MANILA) A massive fire has destroyed a historic post office building in the Philippine capital, Manila, authorities said on Monday.
More than 80 fire engines were dispatched to the scene of the fire, which broke out late Sunday, the Philippine Bureau of Fire Protection said.
PHOTO AARON FAVILA, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Thick black smoke rose hundreds of meters into the sky, while flames ravaged the central post office in Manila (North).
It took firefighters more than 7 hours to bring the blaze under control.
“The whole building burned down, from the basement to the fifth floor,” Luis Carlos, the Philippine postmaster general, told DZBB radio.
PHOTO AARON FAVILA, ASSOCIATED PRESS
The cause of the fire is under investigation, he added.
Built in 1926, this post office was once considered the “grandiest building” in Manila, according to its website.
It was destroyed during World War II, when American forces recaptured the capital from the occupying Japanese forces, before being rebuilt in 1946.