Gas cylinders were scattered along the only staircase of the seven-storey Green Cozy Cottage building in the capital's Bailey Road, where at least 44 people were killed in a devasting fire on Thursday night.
“The building also did not have an emergency exit point. Except for the second floor, gas cylinders were kept on every floor and even the stairs,” Director General of Fire Service Brigadier General Main Uddin said.
He said they are suspecting that a stove or a gas leak may have caused the fire.
At least 44 people were killed, and over 20 others sustained severe injuries by a devastating fire on Thursday night.
Firefighters rescued 70 people, including 42 in unconscious state, from the rooftop and different floors of the seven-storey Green Cozy Cottage.
The fire broke out at the restaurant named “Kacchi Bhai” on the first floor around 9:45pm. Many people were dining in the restaurants when the fire spread to other floors.
Most of the people died as they jumped off the building or from burns or suffocation, said firefighters who brought the fire under control around 12:30am.
Fire officials say the blaze spread fast due to the presence of gas cylinders on several floors in the restaurant kitchens. People could not leave the building due to smoke in the staircase.
