Fire Service Director General Brigadier General Muhammad Zahed Kamal has said the building housing the Apex warehouse that was damaged in a fire at Dhanmondi Road 27 in Dhaka did not have a fire licence.
“They applied for a licence a few months ago. However, the licence was not issued as they did not have fire safety approval,” he told reporters after the fire was brought under control around 12pm.
The Fire Service chief said people at the warehouse first noticed smoke coming from the electrical distribution panel.
“Six Fire Service units worked to control the fire. We brought it under control at noon. The building where the fire broke out is five-storeyed. The fire mainly started at the Apex warehouse located on the fourth floor. No one was injured or killed in the incident,” he said.
He said there were no visible flames inside the building, but smoke remained.
“Once the smoke is completely removed, we will be able to declare the fire fully extinguished. We need to conduct an investigation to determine the actual cause of the fire,” Zahed Kamal said.
Asked about the possible cause of the fire, he said, “We do not want to comment on this without an investigation. However, the people there told us that they first noticed smoke from the electrical distribution panel.”
“They initially tried to put out the fire using their own firefighting equipment. After failing, they informed the Fire Service. We will also examine these claims during our investigation,” he added.
Regarding the extent of damage, the Fire Service chief said the fire was brought under control quickly and remained limited to the fourth floor.
“There has been damage, but it is not very extensive,” he said.
Earlier, the Fire Service received information about a fire at an Apex showroom on Dhanmondi Road 27 at around 10:05am on Thursday. Fire Service units later reached the spot and brought the blaze under control.
The initial cause of the fire and the extent of damage were not immediately known. No casualties were reported.
