
BFP declares post office fire accidental
THE Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) has issued a statement clearing all “debris of doubts” in the fire that hit the historical Manila Central Post Office (MCPO) two weeks ago.
According to BFP Spokesperson Supt. Annalee Atienza, the Special Investigative Task Group (SITG) created by Fire Chief Director Louie Puracan concluded that the incident was purely accidental in nature thus declaring the case “closed,”
Citing the investigation report, Atienza said that the May 21 blaze was caused by a car battery explosion which was stored at the lower ground storage area of the more than a century-old building at the Lawton area in Liwasang Bonifacio.
Evidence analyzed by the task group shows that debris of car batteries with damages indicative of an electrical fault was the source of ignition.
The battery was stored on the lower ground floor along with other combustible materials which can be easily ignited by the same source and subsequently supply the needed fuel to start a combustion.
“The Post Office Fire SITG further concludes that the incident is accidental in nature and the case is declared as closed, not subject for amendment or variation,” the statement reads.
At the same time, the BFP advised everybody to conform with environmental laws of battery disposal as specified in RA 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 to avoid similar incident.