Thiruvananthapuram: The files that were partially burnt in the fire at the protocol office of the Kerala government Secretariat on Tuesday are now being scanned, numbered, sealed and stored in shelves, even as the police said they did not find anything suspicious about the incident

The interdepartmental committee of state officials looking into the fire is recording the process of inspecting and storing the files to avoid allegations of irregularity later. It is also planning to make a graphics video about the accident to explain the cause of the fire.

The committee, formed under Disaster Management Commissioner A Kaushik, took statements of secretariat employees on Saturday, too. It recorded the statements of the State Protocol Officer and the Additional Protocol Officer also. Additional Protocol Officer Rajeev told the committee that he reached the spot after he was informed about the fire by the office of minister K Krishnankutty, which is next to the protocol office.

The investigation by the police is also progressing in the case. The team led by ADGP Manoj Abraham collected information from more employees. They checked the CCTV footage of the day of the incident but found nothing unusual, the police said. There are no CCTV cameras in the office where the fire broke out. The police, instead, checked the cameras on the way to the office. The police believe there is nothing suspicious about the fire.

No one had been to the office ever since it was closed for disinfection after an employee was found to be COVID positive, the police said.

The fire brigade personnel were the first to arrive at the spot to put out the blaze. A final report will be submitted only after receiving the results of the forensic examination.

Meanwhile, the police have decided to question more members of the secretariat staff to look into the allegations that some employees who were in quarantine, including the Assistant Protocol Officer, were near the office at the time of the fire.

The fire is said to have started from a fan at the protocol office. Amid allegations from the Opposition that the fire was a deliberate attempt to destroy evidence in the gold smuggling case, the chief minister and many other officials have said no important files were lost in the accident.