A sudden fire damaged the internal server of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, disrupting internet services at the plant for the past two days. A large number of official documents were also damaged in the fire, though officials said there is no cause for concern as all documents are thoroughly backed up.

The fire broke out at the old Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) office building inside the project site near Gate No 2 at around 4:00am on Monday, a fire service officer stationed at the plant told The Daily Star.

“When the fire broke out, firefighters inside the plant rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control. However, the plant's internal server was damaged in the incident,” said Md Abul Hasem, station officer of the Rooppur Plant Fire Station.

When asked about the cause of the fire, the station officer said it is initially suspected that an electrical short circuit in an air conditioner in the office may have sparked the blaze. Rooppur authorities have formed an internal probe committee following the fire.

“The probe committee is working to determine the cause of the fire by reviewing CCTV footage and other sources,” the fire station official said.

Asked about the impact, Md Ruhul Kuddus, in-charge of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant site office, said that while some official documents were damaged, it is not a serious issue because backup copies exist for all files.

However, internal internet services have been severely hampered over the last two days due to the heavy damage sustained by the server station, he noted.

“Work is ongoing to restore internet services,” Ruhul told The Daily Star this morning.

Earlier, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) repeatedly expressed concern about the lack of an adequate fire safety system during past visits to the Rooppur plant.

Sources said that according to nuclear power plant standards, the fire station at Rooppur should feature state-of-the-art technology and have a staff of over 200. However, a traditional fire station is currently operating with only 49 staff members inside the plant.

“Rooppur authorities will engage their own trained personnel to ensure fire safety at the plant. Since fully trained manpower has yet to be appointed, traditional fire workers are currently serving at the plant,” fire station officer Hasem said.

He added that they have sufficient equipment and can call on adjoining fire stations if necessary, but once the Rooppur plant takes full charge of its dedicated fire station, it will be fully equipped to handle any situation independently.