Fakhrul: it's not unusual for government to be embarrassed by Secretariat fire

BNP demands an investigation to identify those responsible and calls for compensation for victims

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said it is not unusual for the interim government to find itself in an embarrassing situation following the massive fire at the Secretariat.

He called for a thorough investigation into the incident to identify those responsible.

In a statement on Thursday, Fakhrul expressed concern over the devastating blaze and the loss of important documents in the fire.

He also raised alarms about the death of one person and the injuries of two to three others during the firefighting efforts.

"The fire at the Secretariat has caused extensive damage with critical documents reduced to ashes. It is not unusual that the interim government is facing an embarrassing situation in such a disaster," Fakhrul said.

A fire broke out just before 2am on Thursday in Building No. 7 at the Secretariat, the nerve centre of government administration.

After nearly 10 hours of firefighting efforts, the fire was finally brought under control around noon on Thursday.

The blaze damaged floors 6, 7, 8, and 9, the Fire Service said. The eighth and ninth floors saw the most damage and most of the documents there were burnt.

To investigate the cause and origin of the fire, the government has formed a high-level committee, headed by a senior secretary, with instructions to submit a preliminary report within three days.

In his statement, Fakhrul demanded a proper investigation into the fire, holding those responsible accountable, and urged the government to provide the family of the dead and those injured with compensation.