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A fire at a garment-waste warehouse in Ashulia, on the outskirts of Dhaka, spread to three nearby workers’ colonies, destroying at least 15 to 16 rooms and damaging several multi-storey residential buildings.
The fire broke out at around 9:45pm on Friday in the Tetultala area of Jamgora, Ashulia, triggering panic among local residents. Five fire service units were deployed to bring the blaze under control.
According to residents, the fire initially broke out at a warehouse storing garment scraps before spreading rapidly to around 15 to 16 smaller warehouses containing various used goods. It subsequently engulfed rooms in three nearby workers’ colonies and spread to several multi-storey residential buildings.
Local residents attempted to extinguish the flames before alerting the Fire Service and Civil Defence.
A fire service unit reached the scene at around 10:30pm, followed by additional units from the Zirabo Modern Fire Service and Civil Defence Station and the Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ) Fire Service.
Firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control in the workers’ colonies and nearby residential buildings, but the fire continued to burn at the warehouse.
Md Mamun Hossain, a firefighter at the Zirabo Modern Fire Service and Civil Defence Station, said they received information about the fire at a warehouse storing garment scraps and cotton at 9:39pm and immediately dispatched three units. Two additional units from the DEPZ Fire Service also responded.
However, traffic congestion delayed their arrival at the scene, he said.
At around 12:30am, Pranab Chowdhury, senior station officer at the DEPZ Fire Service, said firefighters were still working to extinguish the blaze completely.
The cause of the fire and the extent of the damage had not been determined immediately. No information about casualties was available in the initial report.