Thick clouds of smoke billowing as a fire incident took place in the Jamila Tower building at Babubazar in Keraniganj of capital Dhaka on Saturday. Some 14 firefighting units made frantic efforts to douse the blaze. — Focus Bangla phto A massive fire that broke out at a 10-storey building in the Dhaka's South Keraniganj on Saturday was brought under control after nearly seven hours of intensive efforts by firefighters.
The blaze started around 5:37am on the ground floor of Jabel-e-Noor Tower, which houses a jhut (garment scrap) warehouse and a readymade garment storage facility, fire service officials said. The fire was finally brought under control around 12:30pm.
Lt Col Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, director (Operation and Maintenance) of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, told reporters that 20 firefighting units were still working at the site to fully extinguish the blaze.
"At least 45 people trapped inside the building were rescued and brought to safety using different stairways," he said.
Witnesses said 10-12 tenants fell ill due to smoke inhalation and were taken to a nearby clinic for treatment.
Members of the Bangladesh Army and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) joined the firefighting and rescue operations.
According to fire service officials, the underground floor of the building houses a large jute warehouse, while more than 200 readymade garment shops operate on the first and second floors. Residential flats occupy the third to the 10th floors, where around 45 families live as tenants.
Local residents alleged that the situation worsened as the building, owned by Haji Nur Alam, lacked adequate fire safety and smoke ventilation systems.
After water supplies from 14 fire service vehicles were exhausted, six firefighting units began drawing water from the Buriganga River to continue the operation.
Mr Chowdhury said the fire originated in the ground-floor warehouse and that heavy smoke and stored materials hampered efforts to reach the source. "There is a basement on one side of the building and several jhut godowns and other goods inside, which are slowing down the operation. Firefighters are breaking collapsible gates and shutters to access the affected areas," he said.
He added that the cause of the fire and the extent of damage would be determined after a detailed investigation.
South Keraniganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer Omar Faruk said authorities were able to prevent the fire from spreading to neighbouring buildings.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com
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