Secretariat’s fire doused after 6hrs, fireman dies being hit by truck while working

A firefighter died after being run over by a truck while working to douse a fire that broke out at the Secretariat in the capital early Thursday.

Fire Service and Civil Defence director general (DG) Zahed Kamal shared this to media while briefing at the spot around 6:45AM.
Fire at Secretariat

The deceased was identified as Sohanur Zaman Nayan, a firefighter from the special team of Tejgaon Fire Station.
Nayan was injured after being hit by a speeding truck while crossing the road to connect a water pipe to a pump. He was declared dead by the on-duty doctors of Dhaka Medical College Hospital, DG Zahed Kamal added.

Meanwhile, the fire that broke out at about 1:52AM at the Secretariat building no: 7 in the capital’s Segunbagicha area, has been brought under control around 8:05AM. There are six ministries and several offices on that building.

The entire Secretariat area was engulfed in thick black smoke following the outbreak of the fire.

A total of 19 firefighting units were able to put the blaze under their control after over six hours with the help of army, police and APBn.

Zahed Kamal said “The fire service had to break down two gates to make room for the two big vehicles inside the Secretariat. Total 211 firemen have been deployed there.”

The fire had caused significant damage to the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth floors of the building, he said to media, adding that, the fifth and sixth floors had sustained the most damage.