The cause of the devastating explosion at Halima Manzil in Halishahar remains unknown, even as the death toll rises to three, laying bare serious lapses in fire safety, emergency preparedness and burn treatment facilities in Chattogram.
In the Halishahar blast, five burn victims have died so far. Pakhi Begum died while being taken to Dhaka for advanced treatment, while a child, Jannatul Ferdous, succumbed to near-total burn injuries. Samir Ahmed Suman, 40, died on Tuesday while undergoing treatment at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka.
The explosion ripped through a third-floor flat of the six-storey residential building near the AC Mosque in H Block, Halishahar, around 4:30am on Monday. Nine members of the same family, including women and children, suffered severe burns.
Doctors said two victims sustained 100 per cent burns, one suffered 80 per cent burns, another 45 per cent, while the rest sustained 20 to 25 per cent injuries. Six victims remain in critical condition in Dhaka.
Cause still unclear
Despite the scale of destruction, authorities have yet to determine what triggered the blast.
A five-member probe body has been formed, said Mohammad Jasim Uddin, deputy director of the Fire Service, Chattogram Division. Although a gas leak was initially suspected, officials now say further forensic examination is required.
An on-site inspection raised further questions. The kitchen, including the gas stove, appeared largely intact. Crockery on the dining table remained undisturbed. In contrast, the bedroom and adjacent balcony were almost completely destroyed by fire.
“If it were a gas explosion, the kitchen should have suffered the most damage,” said Shamima Toma, a resident of the adjacent flat. “But here the kitchen is almost intact while other rooms are devastated. A comprehensive investigation is necessary.”
Eyewitnesses said the entire neighbourhood shook from the powerful blast. Firefighters brought the blaze under control by 5:20am.
No fire safety measures
Residents said the blast followed a clear warning sign, noting that another fire had occurred in the same building just two months earlier. The recurrence points to ignored risks and weak safety enforcement, raising questions about whether preventable hazards in Chattogram are routinely overlooked until they turn deadly.
Shamima Toma said she rushed out after hearing the explosion and tried to douse the flames with water from her flat. “There was no fire extinguisher. People were running to save their lives,” she said.
Fire Service officials confirmed that no fire extinguishing system was found in the six-storey building. While a fire safety certificate is legally mandatory for larger high-rise and mixed-use buildings, authorities said they would verify whether the building possessed the required documents.
CCTV footage showed victims running in panic with flames engulfing their bodies, a scene officials described as “tragic and avoidable”.
Deputy Director Jasim Uddin said a lack of awareness worsened the situation. “If someone catches fire, they should roll on the ground immediately. Basic fire knowledge could have reduced the severity,” he said.
Treatment crisis in a city of 7 million
The tragedy has also exposed serious deficiencies in emergency burn care in Chattogram.
The injured were first taken to Ward 36 of Chattogram Medical College Hospital, a 50-bed unit that remains overcrowded and lacks intensive care unit and coronary care unit facilities. Despite being designated a burn unit, it could not provide critical care. All patients had to be shifted to Dhaka.
Pakhi Begum died on the way to the capital.
Former head of Dermatology at Chittagong Medical College Prof Rafiqul Mawla said survival becomes extremely difficult when burns exceed 40 per cent. “In this case, some patients had 80 to 100 per cent burns. Transferring them over a long distance significantly increases the risk,” he said.
However, work is under way to establish a full-fledged 150-bed burn unit in Chattogram.
Project Director Rafiq Uddin said the 150-bed burn unit is under construction and is expected to become operational within one to one-and-a-half years.
Ministers visit, assurances given
Health Minister Sakhawat Hossain, Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu, and Chattogram-10 MP Sayeed Al Noman visited the Burn Institute in Dhaka on Tuesday morning.
The Health Minister told reporters that three of the nine victims had died and assured proper treatment for the injured. He said coordinated initiatives among three ministries would be launched to prevent gas leakage incidents and the use of expired cylinders.
