Jonathan Frederic De Santos

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Senate fire. Eon Sanchez, ABS-CBN News

Eon Sanchez

ABS-CBN News

MANILA (3rd UPDATE) — A fire that broke out at the Senate on Sunday morning did not affect any important documents, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said as he reported that the chamber&#x27;s maintenance team is working to clean up after the firefighters put the fire out.Sotto said the fire on Sunday was reported at the office of the Legislative Technical Affairs Bureau on the third floor of the building.&quot;Rest assured that all pertinent Senate documents—including those of the Blue Ribbon Committee—remain intact, safe, and completely unaffected by the fire,&quot; he said. &quot;The Senate is working closely with the [Bureau of Fire Protection] and internal security to ensure the continued safety of the premises and personnel and to prevent similar incidents moving forward.&quot;Sotto reported, however, that water used to suppress the fire had leaked to the Senate&#x27;s session hall, which is on the second floor.&quot;The Senate’s maintenance team will be working round the clock to dry and restore the Session Hall to ensure it is fully ready for Monday’s session,&quot; he said.Initial reports showed the fire was first detected at 6:30 a.m., with the BFP dispatching teams at 6:32 a.m.The blaze was raised to first alarm at 6:50 a.m. and escalated to second alarm eight minutes later.More than 10 fire trucks responded, including several engine, tanker, pumper, rescue, and ambulance units.<div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:551px;height:622px;display:block;flex-grow:1" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1994913063515164941&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aod2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2025-11-30T00%3A37%3A33.663733%3Afc79515f-e523-4d66-83bb-8f1ff1f45c3e%26action%3Dedit&amp;sessionId=83e7376d3d94df3244205317cacdf7ce40686bd8&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px" data-tweet-id="1994913063515164941"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script>Teams from Makati also arrived to assist in the operations.Fire crews reached the affected section of the building’s upper floors as thick smoke billowed from the structure.The fire was declared under control at 7:43 a.m., and officially declared fire out at 8:20 a.m.Reporters arriving at the area were restricted to the main gate as emergency teams continued suppression efforts and secured the compound.The Senate is classified as a place of assembly, prompting a full response from firefighters and auxiliary units. The BFP has yet to release details on the cause of the fire, the extent of structural damage, and assessment of the affected sections of the building.Because of the water seepage in the Senate&#x27;s Session Hall, the 30th Session of the Senate will take place on Tuesday, December 2. Senate Secretariat and Senate Proper offices are authorized to be alternative work arrangement on Monday, according to Atty. Renato Bantug Jr., secretary of the Senate.The fire comes as thousands are expected to head to Luneta Park in Manila and the People Power Monument in Quezon City to protest corruption in flood control projects.Some senators have been implicated but not formally charged in connection with the flood control mess.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III said the fire on Sunday was reported at the office of the Legislative Technical Affairs Bureau on the third floor of the building.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III said the fire on Sunday was reported at the office of the Legislative Technical Affairs Bureau on the third floor of the building.

Session hall wet, vital documents safe after Senate fire — Sotto

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Session hall wet, vital documents safe after Senate fire — Sotto

Eon Sanchez,

ABS-CBN News

Published November 30, 2025 08:49 AM PHT

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Updated November 30, 2025 06:05 PM PHT

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