A fire that broke out at a spinning mill in the Comilla Export Processing Zone (EPZ) has been brought under control.
However, till the filing of this report, the fire still burning inside parts of the factory. This incident has jeopardized the livelihoods of around 1,200 workers and their families.
Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority (Bepza) officials, who run the Comilla EPZ, confirmed that the fire gutted 95% of the factory, causing damage worth around Tk250 crore.
The fire broke out at RN Spinning Mill, around 9:30pm on Monday, and engulfed the whole factory—including its warehouses—said Ratan Kumar Nath, assistant director of Comilla Fire Service and Civil Defence.
14 firefighting units from the EPZ, Chowara Bazar and Comilla fire stations are still working to douse the flames | Dhaka TribuneActing on information, ten firefighting units of the EPZ fire service responded to the scene to bring the fire under control around 6am on Tuesday. The cause of the fire has not yet been ascertained.
Responding to a query, Ratan Kumar said: “The factory had steel infrastructure, but a lot of thread rolls and cotton were stored inside, which allowed the flames to spread very quickly. It might take some time to douse the flames completely.”
Meanwhile, Bepza councillor Md Sohel Mia said: “The RN Spinning Mill began operating in 2007, and employed around 1,200 workers. The fire broke out after the last shift ended on Monday night.
“We spoke with the factory owners and they said they will pay due wages to all the workers on Wednesday.”
No casualties were reported in the fire incident.
