Accidents & Fires

Secretariat fire sabotage or accident still not known

Says fire service DG
fire at Secretariat
Smoke billows out of a building of the Secretariat as firefighters battle the fires that broke out early yesterday. Security personnel stand guard outside. Photo: Star/fire service

The Cabinet Division-formed investigation committee today began probing the fire that ravaged four floors of a Bangladesh Secretariat building, destroying important files, documents, computers, furniture, and other materials from six divisions across five ministries.

The fire, which was noticed around 1:52am on Thursday in two sections of the nine-storey Building No 7 within the highly secured Secretariat complex, caused significant damage to walls and floors.

It affected the Road Transport and Highways Division, two divisions under the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development, and Cooperatives, the Posts and Telecommunications Division, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

This morning, members of the eight-member investigation committee visited the affected building and later held a meeting.

"The investigation process is ongoing. The committee will hold another meeting tomorrow (today)," Brigadier General Muhammad Zahid Kamal, director general of Fire Service and Civil Defence and member secretary of the committee, told The Daily Star.

He said they could not determine whether it was an act of sabotage or an accident during the primary investigation, expressing his unwillingness to comment further until the investigation is complete.

Formed on Thursday, the committee is tasked with identifying the source and cause of the fire, determining any personal or professional responsibility, and providing recommendations to prevent such incidents and improve overall security of the Secretariat.

The committee has been asked to submit a preliminary investigation report by December 30 and a complete report within the following 10 working days.

Nineteen firefighting units extinguished the blaze after 10 hours of intense effort. A firefighter setting up hose pipes was run over and killed by a truck on Thursday night.

Meanwhile, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sheikh Md Sajjat Ali also visited the damaged building today, accompanied by members of the DMP Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit.

Also, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) continued its forensic investigation for a second day.

CID Inspector Prashanta Kumar Debnath said evidence collected from the site on Thursday was being supplemented with a broader search around Building 7.

A secretary from one of the fire-affected ministries said he sent a representative to assess the situation today, who reported to him that the affected building is currently without electricity and water supply.

He said they are planning to have staff from the affected ministries and divisions continue their work in other departments under his ministry. "We are also considering whether we can use some rooms from other ministries in the Secretariat," he told The Daily Star, requesting anonymity.

Meanwhile, the fire service deployed an additional unit today to prevent any further fire incidents.

 

Comments

Secretariat fire sabotage or accident still not known

Says fire service DG
fire at Secretariat
Smoke billows out of a building of the Secretariat as firefighters battle the fires that broke out early yesterday. Security personnel stand guard outside. Photo: Star/fire service

The Cabinet Division-formed investigation committee today began probing the fire that ravaged four floors of a Bangladesh Secretariat building, destroying important files, documents, computers, furniture, and other materials from six divisions across five ministries.

The fire, which was noticed around 1:52am on Thursday in two sections of the nine-storey Building No 7 within the highly secured Secretariat complex, caused significant damage to walls and floors.

It affected the Road Transport and Highways Division, two divisions under the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development, and Cooperatives, the Posts and Telecommunications Division, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

This morning, members of the eight-member investigation committee visited the affected building and later held a meeting.

"The investigation process is ongoing. The committee will hold another meeting tomorrow (today)," Brigadier General Muhammad Zahid Kamal, director general of Fire Service and Civil Defence and member secretary of the committee, told The Daily Star.

He said they could not determine whether it was an act of sabotage or an accident during the primary investigation, expressing his unwillingness to comment further until the investigation is complete.

Formed on Thursday, the committee is tasked with identifying the source and cause of the fire, determining any personal or professional responsibility, and providing recommendations to prevent such incidents and improve overall security of the Secretariat.

The committee has been asked to submit a preliminary investigation report by December 30 and a complete report within the following 10 working days.

Nineteen firefighting units extinguished the blaze after 10 hours of intense effort. A firefighter setting up hose pipes was run over and killed by a truck on Thursday night.

Meanwhile, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sheikh Md Sajjat Ali also visited the damaged building today, accompanied by members of the DMP Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit.

Also, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) continued its forensic investigation for a second day.

CID Inspector Prashanta Kumar Debnath said evidence collected from the site on Thursday was being supplemented with a broader search around Building 7.

A secretary from one of the fire-affected ministries said he sent a representative to assess the situation today, who reported to him that the affected building is currently without electricity and water supply.

He said they are planning to have staff from the affected ministries and divisions continue their work in other departments under his ministry. "We are also considering whether we can use some rooms from other ministries in the Secretariat," he told The Daily Star, requesting anonymity.

Meanwhile, the fire service deployed an additional unit today to prevent any further fire incidents.

 

Comments

‘গায়েবি’ মামলার তথ্য সংগ্রহ করা হচ্ছে: আসিফ নজরুল

আইন উপদেষ্টা বলেন, রাজনৈতিক উদ্দেশ্যে কতগুলো ‘গায়েবি’ মামলা হয়েছে তার হিসাব বের করতে সব জেলার পাবলিক প্রসিকিউটরদের তদন্ত করতে বলা হয়েছে।

এইমাত্র