Fire at Bangladesh Bank's forex policy office

A fire broke out on the 13th floor of Bangladesh Bank headquarters in Dhaka around 9:30pm on Thursday. However, firefighters  managed to douse the blaze using 12 units within an hour with no reports of casualties in the incident. Fire Service and Civil Defence Director General Brigadier General Ali Ahmed Khan told the media that the fire originated on the floor which houses the central bank's Foreign Exchange Policy Department. “Flame was first noticed coming out from the south-eastern side of the floor, which gutted 15% of its space,” he added. Hinting that electric short-circuit might have caused the incident, he said: “The main reason behind the fire will be unearthed after an investigation, which will also clear if it was an accident or a sabotage.” Soon after the incident, Finance Minister AMA Muhith, his deputy MA Mannan and BB Governor Fazle Kabir visited the bank premises. But, Muhith did not talk to the media about the fire.In his reaction, Mannan said the fire was not a sabotage, adding that he was not even sure if any important document was gutted in the incident. Replying to a query if the fire was aimed to tarnish the image of the bank after last year's heist, he said: “I believe that the fire was not such an incident (of conspiracy against the bank).” Earlier, BB Executive Director Shafiqul Islam claimed that the damage was minimal and that no document of value was destroyed.Fire brigade formed a five-member probe body over the incident, asking it to submit its report within five working days. Meanwhile, the central bank formed a committee comprising three members to investigate into the matter, which will submit a report on March 28.Fire or sabotageAccording to Bangladesh Bank sources, the fire occurred in the chambers of Foreign Exchange Policy Department General Manager Md Masud Bishwas and his personal secretary. The department regulates the foreign currency exchange rates. Earlier on March 14, Masud's computer was reportedly hacked and emails containing sensitive document material were sent out. Bank authorities had instructed officials not to open the files. On March 20, another computer in the office was reportedly hacked and the leak recurred. The fire comes just three days after the latest hack.