The deadly fire that took place on the seventh floor of a residential building in Dhaka's Gulshan area, was caused by an electric shortcircuit from a wire, a Fire Service and Civil Defence official has said.
They said the fire broke out first on the fourth floor and spread quickly on the 11th and 12th floors of the building due to its “extensive decoration”.
The official said they could not find proper fire extinguishers inside the building, and the ones that were installed inside, did not help much.
As per another firefighter stationed at Baridhara fire service, the entire building became enveloped in smoke when the fire broke out on the fourth floor, making it impossible for anyone to use the stairs. The blaze rapidly advanced to the duplex apartments on the 11th and 12th floors.
Apart from that, the building contained hundreds of electrical wires that the fire likely passed through, and all of the fire equipment was destroyed in the blaze.
Since there is no other road except the one that is in front of that building, fire service tried to bring the blaze under control from nearby buildings.
Mehedi Hasan/Dhaka TribuneThe building's 26 flats are privately owned by the residents, and each floor has two luxurious flats. These apartments are home to a number of influential individuals, such as businessmen and politicians.
However, the main owners of the building are two friends named Zakir and Musharraf. Since Musharraf died, the entire responsibility of the building was in the hands of Zakir.
After 12am on Monday, when the blaze was under control, the owner of some of the apartments, including Roksana Hossain, Farzana Banu and Sabrina Siddique, along with some others, were handed over to Gulshan police station by the fire service officials.
Regarding the fire, Sabrina Siddique said the fire did not damage her flat. “I was out when the fire took place. I was informed of the matter through a phone call. My family is safe.”
Another resident, who lives on the third floor of the building, Roksana Hossain, said: “When the fire broke out, we all were home. I saw smoke coming into our apartment through our door, and my son saw the fire first. I can't tell you how we managed to get down from the building. But, my family is safe.”
In addition, the residents mentioned that the building management had shut down the elevator when the fire reached the fifth and sixth floors.
Another resident of the building, Arif Ibrahim, who is the owner of New Age Garments, suffered severe injuries in the fire and was initially taken to the Lab Aid Hospital in the capital. However, he was subsequently transferred to the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery later that night.
Mehedi Hasan/Dhaka TribuneAccording to fire service officials, his wife and children were unharmed.
Meanwhile, Director (Operation and Maintenance) Lt Col Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, also the investigation committee head, reported that the team thoroughly searched each floor of the building and found no casualties or victims.
Some flat's doors had to be broken down by the team in the process of extinguishing the fire, he added.
Assistant Director of Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence Md Akhtaruzzaman Liton said that they had divided their teams into two groups -- one to extinguish the fire and the other to rescue any trapped residents.
He added that a team from the fire service would remain at the scene till morning to further look into the matter.
Damage from the fire
The main electrical line of the building from the fourth to the 12th floor suffered significant damage. The 11th and 12th floors were completely burnt down.
The seventh-10th floors were also affected, although the extent of the damage is currently unknown.
Fragile fire management system
Mehedi Hasan/Dhaka TribuneAn official from the Fire Service and Civil Defence confirmed that there were no fire control devices provided by the fire service before the construction of the building.
They also mentioned that the building does not have a hydrant line, but it does have a signal buffer. There was also no water source in the separate safety tank, which is designated for fire control.
When questioned about the availability of fire equipment in the building, the official responded that the existing equipment was not functional and there was an insufficient amount overall.
They added that the tools that were inside the building, were not properly installed in accordance with safety regulations. Hence, those also did not work at the time of need.
Crowd affects rescue operation
Mehedi Hasan/Dhaka TribuneRescue workers have alleged that the operation was hampered due to the large crowd gathered on the roads to see the incident.
They were seen taking pictures and videos of the incident on their mobile phones. The rescue workers had to repeatedly ask the crowd to move from the scene.
The incident
The fire killed at least one person after four people jumped off from the multistorey building.
The body was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue in an ambulance around 10pm.
At least 22 people were rescued alive from the building, fire service official said in a briefing. Of them, 9 were male, 12 were female, and one child.
The deceased along with three others was seriously injured after jumping from the seventh floor of the building in panic. The three others are receiving treatment at a hospital in critical condition.
Meanwhile, two more people have been admitted to a Dhaka hospital due to smoke inhalation from the fire that broke out on the seventh floor of a residential building in Dhaka's Gulshan area.
They were admitted at Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery at around 2:30am on Monday.
Fire Service and Civil Defence Director General (DG) Brigadier General Md Main Uddin said a total of 19 firefighting units managed to bring the flames under control after four hours at around 11pm.
Meanwhile, the Fire Service and Civil Defence Director General (DG) Brigadier General Md Main Uddin formed the five-member investigation committee following the end of the primary rescue operation.
The head of the investigation committee is Director (Operation and Maintenance) Lt Col Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury.