Fire guts historic Philippine post office

A huge fire destroyed an historic post office in the Philippine capital Manila, injuring seven people as more than 80 fire trucks battled a fire at the decades-old landmark that broke out late Sunday, the Bureau of Fire Protection said.

The fire gutted the neo-classical Manila Central Post Office that overlooks the Pasig River and it took firefighters more than seven hours to get the inferno under control.

Originally built in 1926, the post office was once considered the "grandest building" in Manila, according to its website.

It was destroyed in World War II as US forces recaptured the capital from Japanese occupation forces, and rebuilt in 1946.

Letters, parcels and the postal agency's entire stamp collection were in the building and are likely destroyed. The cause of the blaze was being investigated.