Chemical warehouse fire: VP visits site to check on progress of work

Vice President Faisal Naseem has on Thursday, visited the site of Friday’s tragic fire incident in the Henveiru ward of the capital to check on the progress of the work.

Four chemical warehouses and six buildings were destroyed beyond use in the fire that is believed to have originated from one of the warehouses; all affected have been provided temporary housing.

While it took hours to control the fire, officials are still active in the area as one of the buildings had tilted sideways due to the fire; they are currently working to demolish the building.

During his visit to the site, VP Naseem met with the officials assessing the damage as well as workers clearing the area.

He also advised authorities “to take caution while undertaking the work of assessing the damage and during site clearance.”

After the visit, Naseem told officials that the government “will not allow a repetition of such disasters” and that it is doing everything within its power to alleviate safety standards in general.

He added that the government “will no longer sit back and wait for disaster to befall” and that it would “learn from the past and act upon the lessons.”

VP Naseem emphasized that the whole country has been in mourning since the fire, which took the life of 46-year-old Aishath Shauna.

While the incident took place a day prior to President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s scheduled visit to New York to attend the 74th United Nations General Assembly, he assured the public that the administration will take “every action necessary” to prevent repetition of fire incidents.

The tragic fire also led to concerns over the safety conditions of Malé City, where warehouses are authorised to store flammable substances like paint thinner and agricultural fertilizer.

Solih has since instructed all relevant authorities to commence the work of relocating all chemical storages to a safe and isolated location away from residential areas “immediately.”