Secretariat reopens 11 days after fire
Renovation of 6th to 9th floors likely to be completed in 10-12 days
The Secretariat building in Dhaka, which was severely damaged by a fire on 26 December, reopened today after an 11-day closure.
Officers and employees have been allowed to bring their vehicles inside the premises, marking a gradual return to normalcy.
While offices up to the fifth floor of the nine-storey building 7 have resumed operations, the fire-damaged sixth to ninth floors remain closed.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Abdul Hamid Khan, secretary of the Public Works Department, visited the affected areas and provided updates on the restoration efforts.
"Normal operations have resumed, and cleaning is currently underway. Repairs to water lines and computer connections are ongoing, and we aim to resolve the water supply issues by the end of the day," he told reporters during his visit.
Abdul Hamid added that renovation work on the damaged floors is progressing.
"We plan to start official work on the affected floors within the next 10-12 days. Our engineers are confident of completing the repairs within the specified timeframe, and we will expedite the process as much as possible," he said.
The fire broke out in the early hours of 26 December, causing significant damage to several floors and documents stored within building 7.
Firefighters reported receiving the first alert about the blaze at 1:52am. Within two minutes, multiple firefighting units arrived on the scene and worked tirelessly for nearly six hours to bring the flames under control. It took a total of 10 hours to fully extinguish the fire.
Fire Service and Civil Defence media cell officer Talha Bin Zasim told The Business Standard on 27 December, "The fire was brought under control by around 7:30am. Our teams worked through challenging conditions to ensure the flames did not spread further."
Investigation into the incident
The fire's timing sparked widespread speculation about its cause. Initially, the Cabinet Division announced a seven-member committee to investigate the incident.
However, this committee was dissolved the same evening, and a revised eight-member committee was formed led by Nasimul Ghani, senior secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
On 31 December, the investigation committee revealed that the fire was caused by a loose electrical connection.
"Our preliminary findings do not indicate any signs of sabotage. We have prepared a detailed report, but further tests and analysis are ongoing to strengthen the findings," said Nasimul Ghani during a media briefing.
