A fire broke out at Manila’s historic Central Post Office in the Philippines late Sunday night (May 21) prompting the raising of the highest fire alarm level. One person was injured with minor lacerations on his hand.

Staff sleeping inside the building said they woke up to thick smoke coming from the post office basement. The fire quickly spread to the upper levels, charring the office's pillars and roof.

The cause of the blaze is unknown and an investigation into the incident will be launched.

Mark Laurente, chief of staff of the postmaster general, said: "The fire began from the south side of the basement housing the maintenance room and storage room. Paper and wood materials were stored there".

The incident was declared under control at 7.22 am local time on May 22.

Built in 1926, the nearly 100-year-old building was declared an “important cultural property” in 2018. It was designed by Filipino architects Juan M. Arellano and Tomás Mapúa.

A fire destroyed a historic post office from the American occupation in the Philippines shortly before midnight on Sunday.

Video shows the inferno ripping through the Manila Central Post Office as firefighters tackled the flames on May 21.

The blaze reached the highest alarm and raged for around eight hours before it was brought under control at 7 AM on Monday morning, firefighters said.

One person was injured with minor lacerations on his hand.

Staff sleeping inside the building said they woke up to thick smoke coming from the post office basement. The fire quickly spread to the upper levels, charring the office's pillars and roof.

Mark Laurente, chief of staff of the postmaster general, said: 'The fire began from the south side of the basement housing the maintenance room and storage room. Paper and wood materials were stored there.'

The damage caused by the fire is still being determined.

The Manila Central Post Office, designed by architects Tomas Mapua, Juan Marcos Arellano and Ralph Doane, was built during the American occupation in the Philippines in the 1920s. It was damaged in 1945 during World War II, and was rebuilt the following year.

The building was declared an 'Important Cultural Property' by the National Museum of the Philippines in 2018.