Five families affected by the intense fire that broke out in a residential building in Mahchangoalhi ward of capital Malé City in the early hours of Thursday have been moved to shelters.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)’s CEO Umar Fikuree revealed that 32 members of five families that were living in a building west of ‘Morning View’ were moved to temporary shelter in seven guesthouses.

Out of the 32 persons, three were Covid-19 patients in home isolation, said NDMA, noting that they have since been moved to a facility.

These families have since been provided with hygiene packs, other essentials as well as financial aid. Each person was given MVR 200 for food as well as MVR 1,000 for essentials.

While the building west of ‘Morning View’ was heavily damaged to unlivable conditions, those living east off the building where the fire seared through have moved back in. Nearby buildings were vacated after the fire broke out.

Currently authorities are carrying preparing to begin efforts to assess the extent of damages to the buildings. Umar revealed that assessment efforts will begin on Sunday.

59 residents of ‘Morning View’ including 17 children, have been moved to Ghiyaasuddin School and three individuals are currently seeking treatment for burn injuries.

Umar revealed that their injuries are not life-threatening.

Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) officers were deployed to the region in the early hours of Thursday to extinguish the ‘Morning View’ residence fire reported to authorities at around 5am. Officers were able to control the fire within an hour.

Minister of Defense and National Security Mariya Ahmed Didi and Malé City Mayor Dr. Mohamed Muizzu arrived at the scene shortly after MNDF officers became active.

In live interview with Raajje TV, Mayor Dr. Muizzu stated that he had listened to the stories of citizens who had been witnesses to the fire breaking out, and noted delays in MNDF response as one of the reasons why the fire had not been controlled swiftly. Dr. Muizzu described the fire as a "small" one, and noted that MNDF had first sent a smaller fire vehicle to the scene initially, 40 to 50 minutes after the fire had first been reported.

While Dr. Muizzu had criticized MNDF for their "delayed" response, Maldives Fire and Rescue Services revealed earlier that they had received reports of the fire at around 5am on Thursday. Shortly after. Fire and Rescue Services confirmed the fire had been placed under control at around 5:45am, and put out at 6:09am.

The mayor assured that the city council would be meeting with representatives from MNDF and Fire and Rescue Services to discuss the perceived delays in attending to the fire.