Over 100 Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) employees are working from home for now due to a fire that consumed a large portion of the DPWH–Bureau of Research and Standards (BRS) building in Quezon City on Wednesday.

According to DPWH-BRS Director Juliana Vergara, only BRS officials and key employees are required to physically report onsite on Thursday, October 23, while the rest of the 106 employees have been placed on a work-from-home (WFH) setup.

RH 5 Val Gonzales reported that although the main entrance to the three-storey building remains open, no one has been allowed entry.

The fire yesterday was reported at around 12:49 p.m. and reached third alarm before it was fully extinguished an hour later, at 1:50 p.m. The blaze reportedly began in the Materials Testing Division office on the third floor.

Quezon City Fire Marshal Senior Superintendent Rodrigo Reyes said the fire department is currently investigating what caused the blaze.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), meanwhile, is looking into the possibility of arson as the cause of the fire.