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The historic building of the Central Post Office in flames
Photo: STR / AFP
A devastating fire has destroyed the historic building of the main post office of the Philippine capital Manila. The fire broke out on Sunday evening for an unknown reason and could only be brought under control on Monday morning after a good eight hours, according to the fire protection office. According to Luis Carlos, postmaster general and chairman of the board of the Philippine Postal Corporation (Philpost), all letters, packages and documents stored in the iconic building were destroyed by the flames.
The country's entire stamp library was also burned, Carlos said. According to the authorities, the fire apparently broke out in the basement, where a lot of highly flammable paper material was stored and some structures were made of wood. The building did not have sprinkler systems. "The whole building itself is important because it is a cultural heritage," Carlos emphasized. In any case, it should be completely renovated.
The Manila Central Post Office was built in 1926, but it suffered severe damage during World War II. In 1946 it was rebuilt almost true to the original. The famous façade consists of 14 huge columns, at both ends of the rectangular building there are semicircular halls.
bam/dpa