A fire broke out at a leather factory in Narayanganj’s Rupganj upazila Wednesday afternoon, less than a month after a massive blaze killed 51 people at a food-processing factory in the area.
Firefighters brought the flame under control at around 3:30pm that started at around 12 noon.
The two-storey factory owned by United Leather Industries in the upazila’s Rupashi Moikuli area under Tarab municipality.
A total of 15 units from Narayanganj, Hajiganj, Adamjee, Kanchan, Demra, Araihazar and Sonargaon among other nearby fire stations were still working to completely douse the flame.
As there were no employees working at the factory during the time of the fire accident, no casualties have been reported so far.
Smoke billowing out of a leather factory in Narayanganj’s Rupganj upazila where a fire broke out on August 4, 2021 | Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka Tribune
Confirming the development, Demra Fire Station duty officer Azharul Islam said they were informed at 12:15pm about the fire.
“Our units are still working,” he told Dhaka Tribune.
Dhaka Fire Service and Civil Defence Director Zulfiqar Rahman said the fire started at the chemical warehouse on the first floor of the factory.
“The fire had spread quickly due to the presence of various flammable substances including chemicals in the warehouse. However, thanks to the prompt response by nearby firefighting units, the fire could not escalate,” he added.
An investigation will soon reveal the cause of the fire and any irregularities that may be responsible for it, he also added.
Smoke billows out as firefighters, factory employees and locals work together to douse the fire at a leather factory in Narayanganj’s Rupganj upazila on August 4, 2021 | Dhaka Tribune
Meanwhile, Narayanganj Fire Service’s Deputy Assistant Director Abdullah Al Arefin said they were yet to determine how the fire started and the extent of the damage.
On July 8, at least 52 workers were killed in a deadly fire that had engulfed the six-storey building of Hashem Foods at Rupganj.
The leather factory that caught fire Wednesday is only two kilometres away from the Hashem Foods factory, which is owned by Sajeeb Group.
According to the district’s Fire Service and Civil Defence unit, in 2020 so far, fires broke out at 33 export-oriented garment factories, 13 local garment manufacturing factories, and 81 factories of various sizes that manufacture other products.
At the same time, there were 92 fire incidents in households.
