The Fire Service has declared the building damaged in the massive fire at the Chattogram Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) as “extremely hazardous” after officially bringing the blaze under control at 7:15am on Friday.
Mohammad Jasim Uddin, Deputy Director of the Fire Service in the Chattogram region, said the structure had become critically unstable. “The columns and structure of the damaged building are now extremely weak. A request has been made to hang cautionary banners in front of the building. A decision on whether the building will be removed or not will be taken after a detailed survey,” he said.
Two separate investigation committees, one by the Fire Service and another by the EPZ authorities have been formed to determine the cause of the fire and assess losses.
Jasim Uddin said that early evacuation of workers helped prevent casualties. He noted that the building, which stored a large volume of flammable materials up to the fourth floor, was not built according to safety codes, making firefighting operations extremely difficult.
Members of the Navy, Air Force and other agencies joined the Fire Service in a coordinated effort to control the blaze. Eyewitnesses said the fire was so intense that no machinery, raw materials or finished goods inside the building could be saved.
CEPZ Executive Director Abdus Sabhan said the area was immediately cordoned off and all workers were moved to safety. “All our factories fall under fire compliance and a fire drill was also conducted in this building a few days ago,” he said.
The fire originated around 2pm on Thursday at the warehouses of Adams Caps and Textile Limited and Jihong Medical Company, both located on the seventh floor of a seven-storey building. Adams manufactures towels and caps, while Jihong Medical produces surgical gowns.
CEPZ authorities and factory owners confirmed that no workers were trapped inside during the blaze.
A total of 25 units from the Fire Service, Navy and Air Force took part in the operation, with robotic firefighting equipment also deployed. Rainfall during the night helped create favourable conditions for controlling the flames.
Although firefighters announced the blaze was contained by 7:30am, 17 units continued working until late morning to fully extinguish remaining hotspots.
