The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has assured full transparency and a thorough investigation into the fire that broke out at the Bureau of Research and Standards (BRS) office in Quezon City, a unit responsible for research and testing of materials used in government infrastructure projects.

According to DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon, no critical documents were destroyed in the fire, which was quickly extinguished within 30 minutes by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).

Initial findings from the BFP indicate that the incident was likely caused by an electrical failure in the ceiling of the building’s ground floor.

"According to the BFP nanggaling sa kisame yung short nong electrical wires, 'yun ang initial result,” Dizon said.

Undersecretary (Ret.) Gen. Arthur Bisnar, who oversees the security of DPWH offices and records, is leading the coordination efforts for the ongoing investigation.

Meanwhile, OIC Undersecretary Lara Esquivel clarified that most of the affected materials were technical manuals and calibration reports, all of which have 100% backup copies stored both digitally and physically by the department.

Secretary Dizon has also ordered the digital archiving of all documents related to flood control projects and other infrastructure programs from the past decade. He likewise sought the assistance of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), and Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) to ensure data security and conduct digital forensics on the agency’s databases.

The DPWH, BFP, and other concerned agencies continue to coordinate for the final report on the cause of the fire.