Cause of secretariat fire still unknown: Fire Service DG

The cause of the devastating fire that engulfed Building No-7 of the Bangladesh Secretariat still remains unknown, said Muhammad Jahed Kamal, Director General (DG) of Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD), on Thursday.

Speaking at a press conference at the Secretariat at noon, DG Jahed said that the fire had been completely extinguished by 11:45 am.

He said 10 firefighting units were deployed to combat the blaze, and one of the Secretariat’s gates had to be demolished to allow two large firefighting vehicles access to the scene.

The fire severely damaged four floors of Building No-7, from the sixth to the ninth, where multiple key ministries and divisions were housed.

These included the Youth and Sports Ministry, Labour and Employment Ministry, Posts and Telecommunications Division, Local Government Division, Rural Development and Cooperatives Division, and the Road Transport and Highway Division.

The floors were completely destroyed, reducing them to debris, as reported by UNB’s senior correspondent from the scene.

Talking about the incident earlier, Home Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said that it would be determined through investigation whether the fire was an act of sabotage.

He said that the Cabinet Secretary had been instructed to form a high-level body to investigate the cause of the fire. 

The investigation into the incident is ongoing, and authorities are working to determine the exact circumstances surrounding this massive blaze at one of the country's most significant government buildings, he added.