Fire devastates Manila’s iconic Central Post Office

Manila, May 22 (EFE).- A fire devastated the historic building of the Manila Central Post Office early Monday.

With no confirmed casualties at the moment, the fire was declared under control early in the morning more than seven hours after it began, firefighters said.

The roof and upper levels of the neo-classical building, declared an Important Cultural Property in 2018, have been totally or partially burned.

Images showed uncontrollable flames devouring the interior of the building, built in the late 1920s and destroyed during World War II and then rebuilt, although the extent of the damage is still unknown.

The building was built in 1926, during the period of American colonization of the archipelago, as part of the urban plan of renowned architect Daniel Burnham, who decided to locate it in the old Manila town, near other tourist attractions along the Pasig River.

Philippine Postal Corporation Postmaster Luis Carlos told local media outlet Rappler that the packages and letters inside the building had been completely burned and that some court letters and national IDs had also been affected. EFE

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