29 people from homes neighboring Housing Ministry remain in temporary shelters

Over 20 people who were evacuated from homes neighboring the block of government office buildings that burned down in a massive fire last week remain in temporary shelters, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

The fire broke out at a block of government buildings located in the Ameenee Magu of Male’ City at around 06:00 am on December 12. The two buildings housed the Housing Ministry, Infrastructure Ministry, Environment Ministry, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and two sections of the Male’ City Council – including the Vital Registration Department.

A spokesperson from the NDMA told Sun on Wednesday morning that 29 people evacuated from seven homes remain in temporary shelters; 15 males and 14 females.

The authority said that this includes a person with disabilities.

According to the NDMA, the incident resulted in damages to seven apartments in M. Loakashige, M. Kudhimaa Villa, and M. Loobiyage. The damages were not from the fire itself, but from efforts to put out the fire, with water released at high pressure shattering glass windows and doors in the neighboring buildings.

The NDMA said that the building owners are repairing the damage with assistance from the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF).

Hisaan Hussain, the CEO of NDMA, had previously said that the authority would conduct safety assessments and secure clearance from the security forces before allowing people to move back into neighboring homes.

The massive fire led to fears over loss of important documents, including those related to housing.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Infrastructure Minister Dr. Abdulla Muthalib said the fire did not result in the loss of any housing-related data, and that all such information is safely stored in the cloud.

The fire had broken out just ahead of work hours, and did not result in any injuries.

However, it burned two government buildings beyond use, and also affected nearby buildings, with around 50 people evacuated from neighboring homes.

The cause of the fire remains unclear.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Commissioner of Police Ali Shujau said that the police are collecting forensic evidence from the scene, and are also questioning eye witnesses and analyzing footage from the CCTV cameras in the area.

He also said that a team of foreign experts will join the investigation soon.

Workers from the Public Works Department of the Local Government Ministry are demolishing and clearing rubble from the site.