‘Car battery caused MCPO fire’

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) has completed its investigation of the fire that gutted the Philippine Postal Corp.’s Manila Central Post Office (MCPO) last May 21, ruling that the blaze was accidental in nature, the PHLPost said on Monday.

In a statement, the PHLPost said it was able to obtain the fire clearance certificate issued by the BFP, which states that the fire originated from the southern part of the basement, specifically at the Mega Manila Storage Room where office supplies, thinners and paint cans were piled in close proximity to car batteries stored in the room.

“We welcomed the result of the investigation from the BFP to know exactly what really happened. We will now move on and concentrate primarily on the recovery and rehabilitation of the iconic building,” Postmaster General Luis Carlos said.

The BFP stated that the combustibility of the room’s contents and the enclosed set-up greatly influenced heat build-up, which would explain the explosion and subsequent conflagration.

As to the cause of the more than 30-hour fire, PHLPost said the BFP established that based on the pieces of evidence gathered, the statement of a witness and the result of laboratory examinations, the fire was caused by the sudden self-discharge of a car battery resulting in a thermal run-away, triggering the sudden build-up of heat and pressure that led to an explosion.

The presence of an internal short-circuit, the hydrogen and the volatile gases contained in the battery and the presence of oxygen as the oxidizing agent initiated the ignition, the BFP said.

The contributory factors and the combustibility of materials fueled and sustained the ignition sequence, according to the BFP.

The iconic 97-year-old MCPO in Lawton, with its neoclassical architectural design, was declared as an important cultural property by the National Museum.

Built in 1926, the MCPO was designed by Filipino architects Juan Arellano and Tomas Mapua. It was damaged during World War II in the Battle of Manila and was restored in 1946, right after the war.