Fire destroys historic postal service headquarters in the Philippines

Manila, May 23 (Prensa Latina) Philippine authorities reported on Monday that a fire destroyed the historic headquarters of the country's postal service in Manila.

May 23, 2023
00:15

More than 80 firefighters’ teams were deployed to the scene and for more than seven hours they fought to extinguish the flames that caused serious damage to the emblematic neoclassical building, the Fire Protection Bureau said.

“The entire building was burned down, from the foundations to the fifth floor,” Postal Service Chief Luis Carlos told the DZBB radio station.

He explained that for the moment, the causes of the fire, which destroyed a large collection of stamps and envelopes, are unknown.

The property was built in 1926 and was considered at the time the “largest building” in Manila, although it was destroyed during World War II, and it was rebuilt in 1946.

The National Museum of the Philippines declared the building a “cultural property of great importance” to the country.

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