THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Overheating of the motor winding of a wall-mounted fan due to poor insulation caused the fire at the Secretariat last year, the final report filed by the special team that probed the incident has revealed.Though the report was submitted by the ADGP Manoj Abraham-led special investigation team (SIT) to the Chief Judicial Magistrate court four months ago, its contents have become available in public domain exactly one year after the August 25 incident.
The incident in the protocol division of the General Administration department had triggered strong reactions from opposition parties, which had alleged that the fire was aimed at sabotaging the probe in the Thiruvananthapuram gold smuggling case. At the time, the division had been under scanner after it emerged that officers there committed lapses while dealing with the diplomatic baggage of the UAE Consulate in the capital.
However, the report said the overheating caused a spark, leading to the fire. Since the fan was on, the flames spread to the table where several files were kept and gutted them, said the report. It also ruled out sabotage or involvement of officials behind the incident and said the files destroyed were not important. However, it suggested a department-level inquiry into the recovery of a liquor bottle from the office at time of the fire.