A fire that erupted in Building 7 of the Secretariat, the nerve center of the government, was finally brought under control after six hours of intense work.
Nineteen units of the Fire Service were called in to battle the blaze.
During a press conference on Thursday morning, Brigadier General Muhammad Zahid Kamal, Director General of the Fire Service, confirmed that the fire was contained by around 8 AM.
Sadly, one firefighter, Md. Sohanur Zaman Noyon, lost his life during the operation. He was hit by a truck while carrying out his duties.
Another firefighter, Habibur Rahman, was injured after cutting his leg while fighting the fire.
At around 9:15 AM, Gate 5 of the Secretariat was reopened, allowing staff and officers who had been waiting outside to re-enter the premises.
Speaking on the tragedy, the Fire Service chief explained,
"Firefighter Noyon was carrying a water pipe to connect to the pump when a speeding truck hit him from behind, leaving him critically injured. He was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, but sadly, the doctors declared him dead."
Earlier, the Fire Service Director General had told reporters at the scene that 19 units were deployed to handle the fire, but only 10 units could physically get inside the area due to entry issues with some vehicles.
The fire spread from the 6th to the 9th floor of the building.
When asked why it took so long to bring the fire under control, Brigadier General Kamal explained, "It was a confined, restricted area. All the rooms were locked, and the windows were sealed. We had to break the glass and spray water inside. We did our best to stop the fire from spreading and tried to minimize the damage to the rooms."
This incident has raised concerns about safety and access during emergency situations, especially in high-security government buildings like the Secretariat.
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