Bangladesh Bank building fire under control

The fire at the headquarters of Bangladesh Bank in Motijheel area of Dhaka was brought under control after around an hour. 

Twelve units of firefighters doused the blazes at around 10:30pm, Mahmudul Hasan, duty officer of Fire Service and Civil Defence headquarters, told The Daily Star.

The fire originated on the 13th floor of the 32-storey building around 9:30pm, said Shibli Noman, additional deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

“A five-member probe committee was formed to investigate the incident,” said Brig Gen Ali Ahmed Khan, director general of Fire Service and Civil Defence.

The committee will be headed by a deputy director of the department and will submit the report within five working days, he added.

When asked whether the incident was an act of terrorism, the DG said, “We will be able to make any comment after the investigation.” 

The floor houses the bank’s Foreign Exchange Policy Department, said a bank official.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith, BB Governor Fazle Kabir, and top officials of the central bank rushed to the spot after hearing the news.  

However, the reason behind the incident could not be known immediately.