The fire at Manzur Khan Plaza in Chawkbazar, Old Dhaka, has been extinguished, a Fire Service source said.
The blaze was put out around 6:30am on Wednesday.
It broke out on the building’s sixth floor at 5:04pm on Monday. At 5:22pm, five Fire Service units began working to bring the blaze under control. The number of units was gradually increased to 12.
With the efforts of 12 units, including 10 Fire Service units, the fire was brought under control at 5:20am on Tuesday, nearly 12 hours after it broke out.
During the operation, four firefighters fell ill due to smoke inhalation while battling the blaze. They were admitted to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery. However, no civilian casualties had been reported so far, according to the Fire Service.
While briefing the journalists on Monday night, Lt Col Md Mahmudul Hasan, director of the Operations and Maintenance Department of the Fire Service and Civil Defence Directorate, said, “The narrow roads of Old Dhaka and the structural condition of the building made it difficult to take the Fire Service’s specialised and heavy vehicles to the scene.”
He also said the warehouses on the building’s sixth floor had been gutted by the fire. The building houses warehouses containing various products, including cosmetics and bags.
The fire originated in one warehouse and spread to different compartments. The large quantity of goods stored inside the building made it difficult to bring the fire under control.
Asked whether the building had a firefighting system, Mahmudul said he had inspected the upper part of the building and seen several fire extinguishers. However, he had not noticed any other firefighting arrangements.
