At approximately 06:30 local time (1:30 UTC) on 13 December 2024, a fire broke out in the Ministry of Housing, Land and Urban Development as well as the Ministry of Construction and Infrastructure, which quickly spread to the nearby Green Building which housed the Ministry of Environment, and the Vital Registration Office of the Malé City Council.[1]
 | |
| Date | 12 December 2024 |
|---|---|
| Time | 01:30 UTC |
| Duration | 4 hours |
| Location | Ameenee Magu, Maafannu, Malé, Maldives |
| Type | Structure fire |
| Outcome | Significant damage to the buildings beyond repair |
| Deaths | 0 |
Fire
editThe fire broke out during opening hours of the Housing Ministry on 12 December 2024. Later on, the fire quickly spread to the Construction Ministry as well as the Environment ministry. Firefighters arrived on the scene approximately after the fire had started. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) issued a health advisory saying to not be near the fire unless if necessary.[2] Police evacuated nearby residents and occupants in the affected area.[3][4] The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) established an emergency evacuation centre in Social Centre to help the affected people, where 50 people requested help.[5][6] It took over six hours to bring the fire under control. [7] President Mohamed Muizzu and Construction and Infrastructure Minister Abdulla Muththalib arrived at the scene to assess the situation.[3] The fire led to the complete halt of operation for the Ministry of Housing, Land and Urban Development, Ministry of Construction and Infrastructure, and the Ministry of Environment.[8] Later, the ministries were temporarily relocated to Dharubaaruge.[9] The Vital Registration Office was relocated to the first floor of Amin Avenue in Hulhumalé.[10]
Concerns and recovery
editDuring the fire, there were many concerns that Male’ residents’ births, deaths and residential documents such as house registries and building permits at the office impacted in the fire.[11] Other concerns were the loss of Binveriyaa and Gedhoruveriyaa schemes, where later an official from the Housing Ministry assured that the schemes were stored in the Ministry's cloud.[1] Another concern was the loss of data on the Housing Ministry's server.[12] The Department of National Registration (DNR) and the Department of Judicial Administration (DJA) agreed to send digital copies of important documents over to the Malé City Council that was lost.[13]
Investigation
editAccording to the commissioner of police (CP) Ali Shujau, stated that foreign assistance will be sought to investigate how the fire started.[14] Some are alleging that the fire was intentionally started to destroy evidence related to the recent alleged corruption of the Housing Development Corporation (HDC), which was denied by the police.[15]
References
edit- ^ a b "Major Fire Destroys Gov't Ministry Building in Male'". MV . 12 December 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ "HPA issues health advisory as Housing Ministry fire rages". The Edition. 12 December 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ a b Shahid, Malika (12 December 2024). "Housing ministry building ablaze". The Edition. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ "Government Building Fire Forces Evacuation of Over 50 Residents in Malé". PSM News. 12 December 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ Shahid, Malika (12 December 2024). "Fire Incident: Emergency evacuation center set up at Social Centre". The Edition. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ Shahid, Malika (12 December 2024). "Received 50 requests for assistance following fire incident: NDMA". The Edition. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ Zalif, Zunana (15 December 2024). "MNDF doused massive fire at housing ministry after six hours, 15 minutes". Raajje_TV. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
- ^ Shahid, Malika (12 December 2024). "Services suspended following fire, resumption date to be announced later: Construction Ministry". The Edition. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ "Ministries resume services out of Dharubaaruge after massive blaze". Sun. 15 December 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ Shahid, Malika (16 December 2024). "Vital Registration's services to resume in Male'". The Edition. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
- ^ Mohamed, Naizak (12 December 2024). "Concerns over loss of important docs related to Male' residents in fire". Sun. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ Shahid, Malika (14 December 2024). "Concerns raised over housing ministry server post fire incident". The Edition. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ Osmanagic, Ameera (19 December 2024). "Council recovering lost documents via DNR and DJA". The Edition. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
- ^ Mohamed, Mizna (14 December 2024). "Green Building Fire: Authorities to seek foreign assistance for the investigation". ThePress. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ Mohamed, Mariyath (20 December 2024). "No connection found between fire incident and land issue: Police". The Edition. Retrieved 22 December 2024.