Eleven persons were hurt in a nearly eight-hour fire that burnt the 97-year-old Manila Central Post Office in Manila on Sunday.

Nine firemen, one fire volunteer and one civilian were injured that began at the basement, the Bureau of Fire Protection said in a preliminary report.

"The whole burning has been burned down from the ground floor, from the basement all the way up to the fifth floor,'' Postmaster General Luis Carlos in an interview at dzBB. Carlos said the building had no sprinkler system.

Operations of the Manila Central Post Office will be held at the old building and another one at Del Pan, he added. ''Hopefully, in the next few days we can restore back the service,'' Carlos said.

The Manila Fire Department estimated damage at P300 million.

The first alarm sounded at 11:41 am Sunday, increasing to general alarm at 5:54 am. Fire was declared under control at 722 am by BFP National Capital Region Director Chief Superintendent Nahum Tarroza, a report said.

Injured firemen were FO2 Joel Libutan, FO1 Carlo Abrenica, SFO2 Julio Erlanda , burns, FO2 Jeremy Roque, first degree burn at left and right palm and FO1 Josaphat Martin , swelling and tenderness at left thigh, FOI Louie Guioguio, headache and chest pain; SFO1 Angelo Panado, dizziness/blood pressure monitoring; Inspector Luke Warren Challongen, friction burn at both leg and SFO2 Christopher Fernandez, friction burn in both legs.

Fire volunteer Toti Doslin's hand was lacerated while a 16-year-old girl had a sprained ankle.

Around 82 fire trucks responded, with 42 coming from the Bureau of Fire Protection and 40 from fire volunteers. DMS