Fire at Secretariat: No evidence of sabotage, electrical fault cited

An initial investigation into the fire at the Bangladesh Secretariat has found no evidence of sabotage, attributing the incident to an electrical fault caused by a loose connection. 

The findings were disclosed by Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Nasimul Gani, during a press briefing outside the State Guest House Jamuna on Tuesday evening (December 31).

The high-level investigation committee, led by Nasimul Gani, submitted its preliminary report to the Chief Adviser. 

Following an hour-long discussion, the Chief Adviser provided further directives to the expert team for addressing future preventive measures.

The fire broke out in Building 7 of the Secretariat shortly before 2:00am on Wednesday (December 25) and was extinguished after a 10-hour effort by 19 fire service units.

According to the Fire Service, the blaze caused significant damage to the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th floors of the building, with the 8th and 9th floors being the worst affected. Most documents on these floors were destroyed.

The affected building houses the offices of several ministries and departments, including: Ministry of Finance. Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, and Ministry of Youth and Sports.

The eight-member investigation committee, formed on Thursday night, includes the Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs as its head and the Director General of the Fire Service and Civil Defense Department as the member secretary.

The final report is expected to provide a detailed analysis and recommendations for preventing such incidents in the future.