A major fire that destroyed the offices of several government ministries in December 2024 spread rapidly while firefighters were searching for hidden hotspots and evacuating people from the building, police have said.
Police disclosed further details of the incident while releasing CCTV footage and providing an update on the investigation into the December 12 fire, which caused extensive damage to government offices in Malé.
Speaking at the press conference, Head of Major Crime Investigation Superintendent of Police Abdulla Rasheed said the first signs of trouble emerged following a power outage at the Ministry of Housing, Land and Urban Development that morning.
A security guard at the premises subsequently noticed flames inside the building and managed to extinguish the initial fire.
An off-duty Maldives National Defence Force officer who was passing the area later contacted the MNDF. Fire and Rescue personnel arrived at the scene and entered the building alongside police officers to assess the situation.
While emergency personnel were inside, another fire emerged in the ceiling. MNDF firefighters used foam to extinguish the flames, but officers then discovered several hotspots remaining within the ceiling structure.
According to Rasheed, Fire and Rescue personnel were attempting to identify and extinguish those concealed hotspots while also working to evacuate people from the building when flames suddenly broke out again and began spreading rapidly.
The fire eventually engulfed the building, which housed the Ministry of Housing, Land and Urban Development as well as the Ministry of Construction and Infrastructure. The nearby Green Building, which housed the Ministry of Climate Change, Environment and Energy, also sustained extensive damage.
Rasheed said firefighters brought the blaze under control at approximately 12:45 pm. Efforts to completely extinguish the fire continued for several more hours, with the operation concluding at around 3:30 pm.
Police also disclosed details of movements at the premises in the hours before the fire as part of their investigation.
According to Rasheed, CCTV footage showed that between 4 pm on December 11 and 12:40 am on December 12, nobody other than employees working in that section of the building entered the premises.
Two security guards were on duty during the period and locked the Housing Ministry office at approximately 12:40 am, police said.
The next person recorded arriving for work was a female ministry employee at 6:01 am. Rasheed said investigators established that she did not enter the office area of the building.
The December 2024 fire caused extensive damage to the ministries and disrupted their operations. Following the incident, the affected government offices were relocated to Dharubaaruge, where the ministries have continued their work while arrangements are made following the loss of their previous premises.
