70 killed in major Bangladesh fire

Dhaka, February 21

A fire ravished adjoining apartment buildings and chemical warehouses in a historic part of the Bangladesh capital Dhaka, killing at least 70 persons and injuring several others.

Officials said the fire broke out at a chemical warehouse on the ground floor of a four-storey building named Hazi Wahed Mansion behind a mosque in Old Dhaka’s congested Chawkbazar area on Wednesday night and the flames then quickly spread through four other buildings nearby, including a community centre where a wedding party was on.

“The salvage campaign is ending here,” mayor of Dhaka (South) Sayeed Khokon said.

Fire officials said  the blaze had claimed  70 lives so far.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police officials said the fire spread rapidly due to the multiple chemical godowns that were situated in the area.

Fire service control room spokesman Kamrul Ahsan confirmed the death toll to be 70 while state-run Dhaka Medical College Hospital’s director Brigadier General AKM Nasiruddin said  bodies were kept at their disposal. Nasiruddin, however, feared that the toll may rise as several people were being treated at the facility with critical burn injuries.

Khokon called off the rescue operation around 12.10 pm after nearly 14 hours of efforts. Two-hundred firefighters from 37 units doused the blaze, making their way to the scene through narrow lanes with fire engines. “Some of the bodies were burned very badly, difficult to be identified... of the victims, five are children and nine women,” a doctor said.

Bangladesh’s fire service chief Ali Ahmed said the blaze may have started with a gas cylinder before quickly spreading through the building where chemicals were stored.

“The flames raced through four adjoining buildings, which were also used as chemical warehouses.,” he said. — Reuters/PTI 

Historic Chawkbazar 

• The fire broke out at a chemical warehouse on the ground floor of a five-storey building named Hazi Wahed Mansion behind a mosque in Old Dhaka’s congested Chawkbazar area
• Chawkbazar is one of the most important areas in Old Dhaka, a historic district established about 400 years ago during the Mughal dynasty
• It is a hub of chemical businesses and local perfume factories 

Gas cylinder to blame?

• The blaze may have started with a gas cylinder before quickly spreading through the building where chemicals were stored.
• There was a traffic jam when the fire broke out. 
• TV images showed the main gate of one of the buildings was locked, leaving its residents trapped which made escape difficult

Govt to provide relief

• The district administration will provide 20,000 taka (US$ 238) to the victims’ families for burial

Past incidents

• In 2012, a fire in a garments factory on the outskirts of Dhaka killed 117 persons and injured more than 200 
• In 2010 in Nimtoli in Dhaka, a fire broke out in a chemical warehouse that killed more than 120 persons