A catastrophic fire engulfed four floors of building no. 7 at the secretariat, the nerve centre of Bangladesh’s bureaucracy, for nearly 10 hours on Thursday (26 December), incinerating vital documents from five ministries and divisions.
The incident has sparked heated debates over whether it was an accident or deliberate sabotage, alongside grave concerns about the facility’s security as a Key Point Installation (KPI).
The fire, which began in the early hours, was finally extinguished by 19 units of the Fire Service and Civil Defence with assistance from a Navy team.
The inferno devastated the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth floors, with the latter two sustaining the most damage.
Despite the secretariat’s fire suppression systems, firefighters struggled to access upper floors, while water sources on-site proved inadequate.
Tragically, a firefighter lost his life when a truck ran over him as water lines were being laid on the adjacent road.
Government Records Destroyed
Critical records from the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, Finance Ministry, Labour and Employment Ministry, Local Government Division, and Posts and Telecommunications Division were among those lost.
Officials are now grappling with how to recover these indispensable documents.
Fire Service and Civil Defence Director General Brig Gen Muhammad Jahed Kamal reported difficulties in deploying large fire engines.
“We had to break the front gate to bring in two vehicles. The fire has been controlled, but extensive damage occurred on the fifth to eighth floors,” he said.
Fire officials suspect that flammable materials, combined with the volume of paper documents, caused the fire to spread rapidly.
Videos taken by firefighters revealed that some rooms were completely destroyed, while others were partially damaged.
Corridors and decorations on affected floors were also severely impacted, rendering the building unsafe for use.
Accident or Sabotage?
Speculation over the fire’s cause has dominated discussions, with some suspecting foul play.
Local Government Adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain suggested in a Facebook post that the blaze could be linked to investigations into alleged embezzlement worth billions of takas.
“Those behind this conspiracy will not be spared,” he wrote.
A Navy officer involved in firefighting efforts echoed suspicions, pointing out that the fire appeared to originate in multiple locations simultaneously. “This doesn’t seem like a short circuit,” he remarked.
The Fire Service initially suggested an electrical short circuit as the likely cause.
However, former Director General Abu Nayeem Mohammad Shahidullah emphasised the need to investigate sabotage.
“Such acts could involve gunpowder, chemicals, or even remote-controlled electrical faults,” he stated.
Investigations Underway
The government has launched two high-level investigations.
A committee led by a senior secretary has been tasked with submitting a preliminary report within three days.
Concurrently, the Cabinet Division has formed a seven-member panel, chaired by Additional Secretary Mohammad Khaled Rahim, to deliver its findings within seven working days.
The committee was to examine the fire’s source, assess accountability, and recommend measures to prevent future incidents.
However, the interim government reconstituted the investigation committee tasked with probing the fire at secretariat building, scrapping the earlier seven-member committee.
A new eight-member committee, led by Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs Nasimul Ghani, has been formed, according to a directive from the Cabinet Division issued this evening.
The original committee, headed by Additional Secretary Mohammad Khaled Rahim, was disbanded only hours after its formation.
The revised committee includes Inspector General of Police Baharul Alam, Housing and Public Works Secretary Md Hamidur Rahman Khan, Brigadier General Mahbubur Russell, Commandant of Dhaka Cantonment and Director General of the Directorate of Fire Service and Civil Defence.
It also incorporates academic experts from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET): Professor Tanvir Manjur from Urban Strategy, Associate Professor Md Yasir Arafat Khan from Chemical Engineering, and Associate Professor Yasir Arafat from Electrical and Electronic Engineering.
The committee has been tasked with investigating the fire, determining accountability, and recommending measures to prevent future incidents and bolster security at the secretariat.
A preliminary report is expected by 30 December, with a detailed report due within 10 working days. The directive also allows the committee to include additional members if needed.
Advisers, including Syeda Rizwana Hasan, stressed the importance of waiting for these reports before drawing conclusions.
Security and Maintenance Failures
The fire has also exposed glaring flaws in the secretariat’s fire safety and security arrangements.
The 2013 KPI policy mandates biannual fire drills and adequate fire safety equipment.
However, the Public Works Department, responsible for the building’s maintenance, reportedly prioritised aesthetics over functionality, obstructing Fire Service operations with gates and canopies.
Shahidullah criticised this negligence, stating, “The Fire Service had raised these issues, but no action was taken.” He urged accountability across all departments involved in managing the secretariat’s safety.
Impact and Fallout
The fire’s aftermath has left officials and staff unable to access their offices.
Ministry personnel reported that floors housing critical offices, such as the Road Transport and Highways Division, sustained extensive damage, with furniture and essential documents reduced to ashes.
Adviser Asif Mahmud confirmed that most items in his ministry’s office were destroyed.
The incident has underscored the secretariat’s vulnerability despite its designation as a KPI, calling into question its preparedness to handle emergencies.
With investigations ongoing, the nation awaits answers to whether the inferno was a tragic accident or a calculated act of sabotage aimed at destroying crucial evidence.
