Fire Hits Server Room at Rooppur Nuclear Project

Pabna, September 9, Wednesday: A major fire broke out late at night at the Pioneer Base of Bangladesh’s Rooppur Nuclear Power Project, damaging the BAEC server room and several adjoining rooms. Computers, air conditioners, important documents, electrical equipment and components of internet servers were destroyed in the blaze, while power and internet services were disrupted across several project facilities.

According to project sources, around 43 hours after the incident, power and internet services had still not been fully restored at several important facilities as of 9:30pm on Tuesday, September 8.

The fire reportedly originated in the server room at BAEC’s Pioneer Base around 3am on Monday. The flames and smoke quickly spread to several adjoining rooms.

Four units of the Ishwardi Fire Service rushed to the site after receiving the alert and worked for an extended period to bring the fire under control.

Following the incident, internet connectivity was completely disrupted at various offices of the Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Limited (NPCBL) and BAEC. Power supplies were also cut off at the Pioneer Base and two nearby buildings.

Power remained unavailable at the customs building and cafeteria as well. The outage caused water shortages at the affected facilities. Workers at the project have been facing difficulties amid the intense heat due to the lack of electricity and water.

Md. Sadekul Bari, deputy assistant director of Pabna Fire Service, stated that, After receiving the news of the fire late at night, I and the ED sir immediately rushed to the project. Four units of the Ishwardi Fire Service made every effort to bring the fire under control.

He said, “Initially, it is suspected that the fire may have originated from an electrical short circuit. However, the actual cause of the fire can be confirmed only after the investigation.”

Md. Shahidul Islam, station master of Rooppur Green City Modern Fire Service, said they rushed to the site after receiving information about the fire inside the project.

He said various computers, air conditioners, documents, electrical equipment and internet server components at the BAEC office were destroyed in the fire. The extent of the damage could not be determined immediately.

Meanwhile, the prolonged disruption of power and internet connectivity has affected normal operations at the project, according to sources.

The fire in the server room has also raised concerns among project officials about possible damage to critical information, documents and technical equipment.

Attempts were made several times to contact Rooppur project director Dr. Kabir Hossain by phone for comment on the incident, but he did not answer. A text message was also sent later, but no comment was received from him.
//DBTech/CTRK/SME/FOEH//