S Alam sugar warehouse fire still burning

FE Team | Published: March 08, 2024 00:38:47

Four days have passed since a fire engulfed the raw sugar warehouse of the S Alam Refined Sugar Industries Ltd in Chattogram, and the flames are still flickering, reports bdnews24.com.
Fifteen firefighting units were working to douse the flames at the warehouse owned by S Alam Group in Karnafuli Upazila's Ichapur on Thursday afternoon.
Up to 80 percent of the fire has been extinguished, and efforts are underway to put out the remaining 20 percent, said Dinomoni Sharma, deputy director at Agrabad Fire Service and Civil Defence.
The blaze erupted at S Alam Group crude sugar warehouse around 4 pm on Monday.
Fifteen firefighting units managed to take control of the situation later that night, preventing the blaze from reaching the main factory and adjacent warehouses.
However, the fire in warehouse No. 1 at the S Alam Refined Sugar Industries Ltd has not been completely extinguished.
Located beside the 11 MW S Alam Power Plant, the sugar mill operates using electricity generated by the plant.
Company officials said that 400,000 tonnes of raw sugar was stored across four warehouses at the mill, intended for refinement and subsequent sale during Ramadan.
However, around 100,000 tonnes of this stock stored in warehouse No. 1 was destroyed by the fire.
Warehouse No. 1 spans 65,700 square feet, with a height equivalent to a five-storey building.
The fire is still burning in pockets of the warehouse's upper parts, said Dinomoni. The emergency responders, equipped with robot firefighters, foam and chemicals, are working to douse the fire.
The Fire Service hopes to completely extinguish the fire by Thursday night.
Authorities attributed the difficulties in extinguishing the fire to the carbon and oxygen contained in the raw sugar stored at the location.
The incident has also caused environmental concerns. Since Monday afternoon, fish and aquatic life have begun floating to the surface of the Karnafuli River due to diminished dissolved oxygen levels resulting from burnt sugar waste mixing into the water.
Experts have called for measures to prevent the waste from entering the river.