A fire broke out at the official residence of Pakistan High Commissioner in Dhaka early on Thursday morning, leaving the High Commissioner Imran Haider and his wife hospitalised due to smoke inhalation.
Anwarul Islam, media officer at Fire Service Headquarters, confirmed the incident to TIMES of Bangladesh.
He said after receiving reports of the fire at 4:56am, two firefighting units from Baridhara Fire Station rushed to the residence in Gulshan.
The firefighters successfully brought the blaze under control by 5:10am. While no casualties or burn injuries were reported, High Commissioner Imran and his wife fell ill after experiencing breathing difficulties due to the heavy smoke.
They were subsequently rushed to a hospital and admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Regarding the origin of the fire, Islam noted that a burnt television set was found inside the premises. “It is highly probable that the fire originated from the television set or another electrical device,” he said.
Following the containment of the fire, Fire Service searched the entire building and deployed specialised equipment to clear the accumulated smoke.
“Our preliminary assessment suggests that the fire was triggered by an electrical glitch, which led to the heavy smoke,” Islam added.
Syed Mohammad Farhad, deputy commissioner (DC) of Diplomatic Security Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), also confirmed the details.
“It is initially suspected that the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit,” DC Farhad noted.
“This is a diplomatic residence. Therefore, according to the rules, we do not have the opportunity to enter without permission,” he said. “However, the incident is being thoroughly investigated”.
