Fire hits Comelec building

MANILA, Philippines — A fire broke out at the Palacio del Gobernador bulding, which houses the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office, in Intramuros, Manila last night.

The Bureau of Fire Protection said the blaze affected the seventh floor of the centuries-old building, where the Comelec’s information technology department is located.

Firefighters raised the first alarm at around 6:53 p.m. and elevated it to second alarm at 7:02 p.m., with eight fire trucks responding to the alarm.

Photos from the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office showed fire trucks and ambulances surrounding the building, but there was no visible sign of smoke or fire from the outside. The BFP’s Intramuros fire station is across the street from the building.

Aside from Comelec, the Palacio del Gobernador also houses the Metro Manila office of the Home Development Mutual Fund or Pag-ibig Fund and the Intramuros Administration.

As of early last night, the BFP had yet to declare if the fire had been controlled or put out.