A fire that broke out in Building 7 of the Bangladesh Secretariat on Wednesday night was brought under control after nearly six hours of firefighting efforts.
While the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth floors suffered varying degrees of damage, the eighth and ninth floors were hit the hardest, with many important documents reportedly destroyed.
Fire Service and Civil Defence Director General (DG) Brigadier General Muhammad Zaheed Kamal confirmed the fire had been contained during a press briefing on Thursday morning.
He stated: “The eighth and ninth floors suffered the most extensive damage, and important documents stored there may have been destroyed.”
According to the Secretariat's official website, Building-7 houses offices of the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, Roads and Highways Department, Ministry of Finance, Department of Financial Institutions, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Local Government Division, Ministry of Rural Development and Cooperatives, Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
The fire was fought by 20 units and 211 personnel from the fire service, though only 10 units could operate effectively due to space constraints.
Firefighters worked to extinguish flames inside various rooms while navigating challenges posed by enclosed and glass-covered spaces.
"The fire spread quickly through power lines," the DG said. “Though we believe the blaze may have originated from a short circuit, we cannot confirm this without an investigation.”
He assured the press that there was no shortage of water to combat the fire. “Water was sourced from the nearby Osmani Auditorium, and Dhaka Wasa supplied additional resources. The prolonged effort to contain the fire was due to structural challenges within the building.”
Home Affairs Advisor Lt General (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury announced that a high-level investigation committee will be formed to determine the cause of the fire.
“The fire originated on the sixth floor and spread upwards,” Chowdhury said. “It’s too early to determine whether this was an accident, sabotage, or part of a larger conspiracy. These aspects will be thoroughly investigated.”
No casualties were reported, and the Secretariat has assured the public that the investigation's findings will be disclosed promptly.
