Former PNB headquarters on fire

On January 7, 2015. Sometime at 2am, the Old PNB building at the historic street of Escolta, which is also served as the Old City College of Manila caught on fire. A guard working in the building, says that sometime in the morning, a sudden loss of electricity went and signs of smoke and fire arose.

The fire department was called in immediately to put out the flame. The fire quickly moved to the upper 10th floor and announced “Task Force Bravo” which means requesting for more help from other fire departments nearby. Firefighters managed to place the fire under control at about 9:19 am and announced fire out at 5pm. One firefighter was injured on the scene due to falling debris.

At least 20 million pesos worth of structural damage was reported. Vice Mayor Isko Moreno earlier ordered a safety assessment to see if the structure is stable or pose to collapsing. Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada came to the scene stating that building may be demolished for safety concerns.

Here some shoot during the fire incident.

Due to this, the path of this Friday’s Traslacion or procession for the Black Nazarene may be adjusted to cross Dasmarinas street to ensure the devotees’ safety.

Heritage Trivia 

Design by : Carlos Arguelles.
Build Year : 1965.
It served as the headquarters of the Philippine National Bank until the 1990s.

Written by : Peter Danielle Rallos

Photos credit to aileennai in instagram, John Ray Ramos and Alexis Lim