Secretariat fire fully tamed after 6hrs

A fire at Building 7 of the Bangladesh Secretariat has been brought fully under control after burning for nearly six hours, the fire service has confirmed. 

Firefighters fully contained the blaze at 8:05am on Thursday, after it broke out at 1:52am and fire service personnel reached the site within two minutes.

The fire had caused significant damage to the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth floors of the building, Fire Service and Civil Defence Director General Brigadier General  Muhammad Jahed Kamal told reporters.

Jahed said 20 units and 211 firefighters had been deployed to control the fire, but only 10 units could actively operate due to space constraints. 

Firefighters were now entering various rooms in the building to ensure all remnants of the fire were extinguished, the fire service chief added.

He mentioned that the flames had spread rapidly due to the electrical lines.

While the exact cause of the fire remained uncertain, Jahed said it might have originated from a short circuit. "But we cannot confirm anything without further investigation.”

Addressing concerns about water availability, he said there had been no shortage of water during the operation. "We received water from nearby Osmani Memorial Auditorium and Wasa vehicles. However, the closed and glass-enclosed rooms of the Secretariat made it difficult to bring the fire under control quickly."