A massive fire broke out at a factory building inside the Chattogram Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) on Thursday afternoon, destroying nearly $900,000 worth of medical equipment belonging to Jiehong Medical Products BD Co Ltd, a China-based export-oriented company.
The fire originated around 2pm on the fifth floor of the Adams Caps and Textiles factory building on Road 5 of the EPZ, which houses several industrial units.
According to Jiehong company officials, at least 30 containers of products, including isolation gowns, aprons, surgical caps, and patient caps prepared for export to Europe and the United States, were completely gutted.
“We produce medical aprons and masks on the fourth and fifth floors of the Adams Caps building. The fire started in the store on the fifth floor,” Jiehong Medical Products Senior Executive (Commercial–Export Import) Borhan Uddin Tamim told TIMES of Bangladesh.
He added, “About 800 workers are employed with 3 foreign employees on these two floors. Fortunately, all of them were safely evacuated, and no injuries were reported. However, all 30 containers of products, each worth about $30,000, have been destroyed.
“Nearly 800 machines may also be damaged. We will assess the full extent of the loss once the fire is under control.”
The company stated that 15 of the destroyed containers were scheduled for shipment next week. They also have another production unit in EPZ No 2, employing about 400 workers, which remains unaffected.
According to the company, preliminary reports suggest that a cigarette spark may have caused the fire, though the exact reason is yet to be confirmed.
When contacted around 5:30pm, the Agrabad Fire Service Control Room confirmed that they are yet to bring the blaze under control. Twenty units from six fire stations have been deployed to contain the blaze.
“The cause of the fire and the total damage will be determined after the operation is completed,” said a fire service official.
EPZ Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Jamir Hossain told TIMES of Bangladesh that the affected factory primarily manufactured medical accessories. “The situation is under observation, and detailed information will be shared later,” he said.
Chattogram EPZ Executive Director Md Abdus Sobhan confirmed that all workers were evacuated safely. “There is no one inside the building now. Another nearby garment factory has been temporarily closed to prevent any further incidents,” he added.
