After frantic efforts for about 20 hours at a stretch, firefighters have finally managed to extinguish the blaze that broke out in a seven-storey readymade garment factory in Sreepur upazila of the district on Sunday afternoon.
However, no casualty was reported from the large fire, claimed unit authorities, adding that all of the workers were out to lunch at the time.
The factory authorities declared a seven-day holiday, though it started giving out wages to the workers from yesterday afternoon.
Besides, the local administration formed a five-member probe committee, headed by Shreepur UNO Sadekur Rahman, to investigate the fire.
On the other hand, the five floors of the establishment made of steel sheets broke down due to excess heat.
“The fire broke out on the second floor of the steel building, housing ‘Dignity Textile Mills Ltd,’ at around 1:45pm while a lunch break was on, and it soon engulfed the whole building,” said Akhtaruzzaman Liton, deputy director of Gazipur Fire Service.
There are around 3,000 workers in the factory who produce T-shirts.
Being informed, 16 firefighting units from Gazipur, Kaliakoir, Tongi, Mawna and Bhaluka rushed to the spot and started frantic efforts to douse the blaze. Finally at around 10am yesterday, they were able to control the fire, though earlier the floors had collapsed.
Regarding the delay, fire service sources said the water they sprayed would not take position on the floors as the factory was made of steel sheets.
Additionally, the firefighters could not remain inside the building to do their job when the sheets became excessively hot, and there was no suitable place to carry out their work.
Despite their frantic efforts, the water sprayed beneath the building did not yield fruitful results for long.
When contacted, Deputy Director Akhtaruzzaman Liton said: “There were sophisticated equipment aplenty and necessary fire safety measures in the building. The unavailability of skilled manpower there to douse the fire worsened the situation. I think an electric short circuit caused the blaze.”
The loss from the fire could not be ascertained immediately, the official continued.