Ministries resume services out of Dharubaaruge after massive blaze

Four institutions – including three government ministries – resumed services out of Dharubaaruge on Sunday after a massive fire burned down a block of government buildings in Male’ City last week.

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

Dharubaaruge, a convention center located in Galolhu district, has been converted into an office complex to house the institutions. Employees from the Housing Ministry, Infrastructure Ministry, Environment Ministry and the EPA reported to work to the convention center on Sunday morning.

In the wake of the fire, government officials said that top priority of the government was to have the ministries up and running as soon as possible.

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 at least 27 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 have begun demolishing and clearing rubble from the site.