Fire Incident at Three Ministries: Police Question Discrepancies Between CCTV Timestamps and Firefighters' Response Time
25 ސެޕްޓެމްބަރު 2026 | ހުކުރު 08:49Police are facing intense public scrutiny over a significant delay in the arrival of fire services to combat a blaze at a building housing three government ministries. Following the release of official footage showing a substantial time gap between the initial report and the arrival of fire trucks at the scene, authorities have confirmed that this delay will be a key focus of their ongoing investigation.
MNDF Fire and Rescue Service personnel seen working to contain a blaze that broke out in a building housing three government ministries. | MNDF
Police have faced a barrage of questions regarding discrepancies between the timestamps in video footage released during a press briefing and the actual arrival time of firefighters at the scene of the major fire that broke out on December 12, 2024, in a building housing three government ministries.
During a press conference held on Thursday, a journalist questioned the accuracy of the timestamps on the video footage released by the police, asking whether the times shown were precise or if there were any discrepancies. In response, the police clarified that the timestamps displayed were those recorded by the CCTV cameras and confirmed that both the footage and the timings had been verified as part of the ongoing investigation.
The video released by the police begins with footage recorded at 5:33 a.m. By 6:13 a.m., expatriates are seen fleeing the area, followed by an off-duty MNDF officer reporting the incident via phone at 6:17 a.m. However, the video does not show the exact time the MNDF fire truck arrived at the scene. The journalist noted that the fire truck is only seen in operation at 6:35 a.m., indicating a significant delay between the initial report and the arrival of emergency services.
When journalists questioned whether the investigation examined why the MNDF Fire Station took so long to respond despite being located nearby, the police stated that their primary focus is determining the initial cause of the fire. However, they assured that all other related circumstances would also be thoroughly verified. The journalist further pressed the police on whether this specific delay had remained unexamined despite the investigation spanning over a year. In response, the police maintained that the investigation into the incident is still ongoing.
The building housing the Ministry of Housing, the Ministry of Construction, and the Ministry of Environment has been completely destroyed and reduced to ashes in the incident.
