A fire broke out at the offices of the Ministry of Social Security, located in the Renganaden Seeneevassen Building in Port-Louis, on the morning of Monday 30 June 2025. The flames affected a critical section on the tenth floor, which is responsible, among other duties, for overseeing retirement homes. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported. However, the destruction of several confidential documents from the incident has immediately pointed investigators toward the possibility of targeted sabotage.
The fire, which occurred around 10:37a.m., consumed administrative offices housing sensitive units within the ministry. Among these were departments responsible for monitoring elderly care facilities and processing permits. This incident comes amid an ongoing internal investigation into serious irregularities and the suspicion of criminal intent is now being seriously considered. The affected units include the Home Care Resident Board, responsible for managing residents receiving care at home and the Permits Department, overseeing the registration and operation of elderly care facilities. Both units have been placed under heightened police surveillance since the initial findings.
A burned fabric found at the scene has been collected as evidence. Crime scene experts have conducted samples and taken forensic photographs. The ministry has immediately launched internal audits and staff members have been called upon to provide information regarding access to the offices in the days leading up to the fire. According to a source within the ministry, the flames targeted two metal compartments containing confidential documents. “This was not a widespread fire but an arson attack on specific areas. It’s not consistent with an electrical fault or equipment failure”, the source stated anonymously.
This incident occurs within a highly tense context. Since April, an internal investigation has been underway within the ministry, focusing particularly on the Permits Department and the Inspectorate, following multiple complaints of presumed negligence in private retirement homes. These reports have raised concerns about inadequate living conditions, suspected abuse and serious breaches of regulatory standards.
Adding to the turmoil is the lingering shock from the Fieldview Care Home case. This illegal facility, located in Mont-Goût, had been operating without a permit for two years, housing 43 residents, many of whom were highly vulnerable. After the anti-drug brigade seized 21 kilograms of cannabis destined for an innocent resident — whose name had been used in October 2024 — further revelations and tragedies emerged: allegations of sexual abuse involving residents aged 63 and 70, unqualified staff, presumed complicity of officials and a failure to act despite reports dating back to 2021.
The facility was shut down in May 2025, following multiple investigations conducted by the Central Criminal Investigation Division and the Financial Crimes Commission. Some documents related to this case are believed to have passed through the offices affected by the fire, reinforcing the hypothesis that the act may have been an attempt to destroy evidence.
A Disturbing Fire
Several sources close to the case describe the event as “perturbing” suggesting it could be a deliberate effort to obscure trail or hinder ongoing investigations. The coincidence of an internal probe into the management of retirement homes and the fire in these particular offices has not gone unnoticed. Moreover, some within the administration have indicated that audits scheduled for this week were expected to directly target these departments.
At this stage, no formal link has been established with the Fieldview case but the convergence of these facts raises significant concern. The Ministry of Social Security, already criticized for oversight lapses, finds itself under renewed scrutiny. An official police investigation is currently underway, with the criminal hypothesis actively being examined. Should responsibilities be determined, they could extend to multiple levels of the administration, highlighting the seriousness of the situation.