Fire safety at BB HQ 'inadequate'

Fire safety measures were not adequate at the Bangladesh Bank headquarters in the capital's Motijheel, according to a top fire service official.

Furniture, computers and documents in two rooms at the Foreign Exchange Policy department were burnt in the fire that broke out around 9:30pm on Thursday.

Twelve firefighting units managed to put out the flames around 10:30pm.

Brig Gen Ali Ahmed Khan, director general of Fire Service and Civil Defence, told The Daily Star yesterday that firefighters found electric kettles and old electric wiring on the 13th floor of the 30-storey office of the central bank.

 He, however, said the reason for the fire could not be known yet.

Although the bank had firefighting equipment, it had no trained firefighting staff, the DG said. “Such a large office complex should have its own firefighters.”

The fire service directorate formed a five-member committee, led by its Deputy Director Samarendra Nath Biswas, to probe the incident.

“Two members of the committee visited the spot today [yesterday],” said Samarendra.

He hoped to submit the committee's report within two to three days.

Another probe committee formed by the bank also visited the scene yesterday.

BB Executive Director Ahmed Jamal, who is heading the committee, told reporters that all furniture, computers and documents in the rooms of the general manager and his personal assistant of Foreign Exchange Policy department were burnt.

The committee was investigating if there was any negligence in the maintenance of electric and electronic equipment, he said.

The fire did not spread in other chambers of the department and no major damage was detected yet, Jamal added.

Meanwhile, a Bangladesh Bank official yesterday filed a general diary (GD) with Motijheel Police Station over the incident.

Joint Director Nurul Islam, on behalf of the bank, filed the diary around 10:00am, Omar Faruque, officer-in-charge of the police station, told The Daily Star.

In the GD, the bank official mentioned that a fire broke out on the 13th floor of the bank's office around 9:20pm on Thursday and they informed the fire service department immediately, he said.

Firefighters doused the flames within 30 minutes, the OC said citing the GD.

Contacted, Shibli Noman, additional deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (Motijheel zone), said a forensic team from the Criminal Investigation Department examined the spot from 11:00pm to 1:30pm and collected necessary evidence.

State Minister for Finance MA Mannan yesterday told journalists that the government high-ups were very much concerned about the incidents happening one after another in the central bank.