The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) placed the damage to the gutted Manila Central Post Office building to more or less P300 million as probers continue to investigate to determine the cause of the blaze. In an interview on Monday, May 22, at the BFP-National Capital Region (BFP-NCR), the public information service office noted that seven persons were injured during the inferno which was placed under control at around 7:22 a.m. Those injured in the fire incident include Fire Officer (FO) 2 Joel Libutan, FO1 Carlo Abrenica, SFO2 Julio Erlanda, FO2 Jeremy Roque, FO1 Josaphat Arana,, fire volunteer Toto Doslin and civilian Elain Dacoycoy. Due to the intense inferno, fire investigator on the case SFO4 Domingo Mendoza Jr. reported that 42 BFP and 40 fire trucks responded to the scene while 7 ambulances were on stand-by during the blaze. The BFP-NCR stated that responding firefighters immediately proceeded to the fire location after receiving the first alarm at 11:41 p.m. on Sunday, May 21. At 5:54 a.m., the BFP raised the general alarm or its highest fire alarm level on the burning building. In a GMA news report, a stay-in staff said that he woke up to thick smoke, prompting him to call the fire department. The fire was believed to have started from the basement and immediately reached the top floors. Mark Laurente, chief of staff of the postmaster general, revealed that the fire started at the basement's south side where the maintenance and the storage rooms for the Mega Manila Office are located. “Paper and wood materials were stored there,’’ Laurente said. The management of the Manila Central Post Office still could not confirm if the fire destroyed the letters and parcels inside the building. BFP-NCR head Chief Supt. Nahum Tarroza confirmed that the building, which is considered a national historical landmark, is no longer useful due to the extent of the damage. Built in the 1920s, structural engineers will assess the integrity of the building to determine if it should be repaired or condemned.