Artifacts and archival material have remained unharmed in a fire that broke out on the third floor of the National Museum in Dhaka on Sunday morning, the government has said.
Published : 31 Mar 2014, 12:27 AM
Five fire fighting units fought for over half an hour to put out the blaze that had started around 9 in the morning, Mahbubur Rahman, Director (Operations), Fire Service and Civil Defence, said in the afternoon.
Though the museum was kept out of bounds for visitors even after the fire was doused, media persons were allowed to go to Gallery No. 44, which was partially damaged.
The false ceiling of the 'Iranian corner' on the third floor had been damaged, but there were no other signs of harm to the gallery.
Cultural Affairs secretary Ranjit Kumar Biswas said that no artifacts had been damaged.
Though the museum was shut on Sunday on account of the fire, it would remain open to visitors as usual on Monday.
The museum authorities described the fire as an accident, probably caused by an electrical short-circuit.
A nine-member committee has been formed to investigate the causes of the fire at this prestigious institution.
The Gallery No. 44 hosts artifacts from China, Korea, Iran and Switzerland.
Biswas said, as per rule, a committee opens the museum doors before work starts at 9am and switches off electrical connections of the galleries when the museum closes for the day.
Biswas said there might have been an electrical short circuit when power was switched on in the morning on Sunday.
He said the museum employees had tried to keep the fire in check with the help of fire extinguishers till the fire brigade arrived.
Museum Director General Kamrun Nahar Khanam said that CCTV footage had shown smoke spreading at a corner of the gallery soon after power was switched on.
Fire service official Mahbubur Rahman also felt that a short-circuit might have caused the fire.
Biswas said none of the artifacts in the world civilisation gallery – most of them replicas - had been damaged because they were kept in glass boxes.
Asked whether there was any conspiracy behind the fire, he said, “It was merely an accident.”
“A nine-member strong committee, headed by Dr Shikhanur Rahman, has been formed to look into the cause of the fire and ascertain whether there was any negligence.”