Employees of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) were briefly evacuated from the agency's headquarters in Pasay City on Friday afternoon after reports of a burning smell inside the building triggered a fire alarm.
The evacuation took place shortly after 2:30 p.m., with employees, visitors, and members of the media instructed to leave the premises as a precaution while authorities assessed the situation.
DZRH reporter Jecelle Ricafort, who was at the scene, said the smell of smoke was noticeable as the evacuation was underway.
"Tayo ngayon sa tanggapan ng National Bureau of Investigation sa Pasay City at kasalukuyan na pinalabas, pinabababa ng building nitong NBI, yung lahat ng kawani, lahat ng kakuhani sapagkat yung sinasabi nila, nangangamoy sunog at actually naamoy din natin yan dito, lahat ng mga mamamahayag kasama sa mga pinabababa dito sa gusali," Ricafort reported.
After several minutes of inspection, authorities declared the incident a false alarm.
According to an NBI security guard, the odor was traced to a discarded cigarette butt that reportedly ignited a piece of paper, producing smoke but not causing a fire.
Following the assessment, employees who had evacuated the building were allowed to return to their respective offices, and normal operations at the NBI headquarters resumed.
No injuries or property damage were reported as a result of the incident. Authorities reminded the public and personnel to properly dispose of cigarette butts and observe fire safety measures to prevent similar incidents.
