Police have said that the fire, which broke out at three government ministries, spread while authorities were attempting to locate the source of the blaze and evacuate the building.
At a press conference held today, nearly two years after the incident, police released several video clips of the day's events.
According to the police, the fire was first discovered in the ceiling of the Housing Ministry at 7:16 am, while officers were searching for the source of the smoke. Authorities noted that the flames found at that location were extinguished at the time.
"Even after the fire was put out, it was observed that fire remained in various parts of the ceiling. The blaze erupted and spread rapidly while Fire and Rescue services were working to evacuate people and locate and extinguish the remaining pockets of fire," said Superintendent of Police Abdulla Rasheed.
CCTV footage released by the police today shows a security guard at the Housing Ministry stepping out onto the street around 6:15 am to seek assistance after realising a fire had broken out.
The footage further shows the guard stopping a passerby at the intersection of Handhuvaree Hingun and Ameenee Magu. That individual is seen reporting the fire to the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) via phone at approximately 6:17 am. However, the footage does not show the exact time the fire services arrived at the scene.
Police stated that a review of CCTV footage confirmed that no individuals other than ministry employees had entered or exited the premises between 4:00 pm on December 11, 2024, and 12:40 am on December 12, 2022. Following that period, only the two security guards remained on the premises, police added.
