A fire at the Gazi tyre factory in Rupganj upazila of Narayanganj continued to burn on Monday afternoon, more than 15 hours after it first broke out, with many feared trapped and factory authorities suspecting arson as the cause of the blaze.
As of 3:30pm, the fire service had recorded the names and addresses of 175 individuals reported missing by their relatives, said Talha Bin Jasim, an officer from the agency's media cell.
"We are still unsure if anyone is trapped inside. The fire is still burning in various parts of the building, and we have not yet been able to enter."
"Relatives are arriving, crying and claiming that their loved ones are missing, so we are taking down their names. So far we have collected the names of 175 people. Earlier, 14 individuals were rescued from the building," the official added.
Earlier, these individuals reportedly went to the upper floors of the building to loot, but when the fire broke out, they became trapped.
Meanwhile, Lt Col Rezaul Karim, director of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, said 12 units of the fire service were working on the site.
While the fire was under control, efforts to extinguish it completely were ongoing, he said, adding that the presence of flammable materials such as rubber and plastic used in tyre production was causing delays.
The fire service received the alert at 11:40pm on Sunday, and seven teams immediately began firefighting operations.
Incident details
Shafiqul Islam, an official at the factory, said that after factory owner and former Narayanganj-1 MP Golam Dastagir Gazi’s arrest and subsequent remand on Sunday, people in various areas of Rupganj held celebratory processions.
“At one point, a group of 200-250 people entered the factory, evicted the workers, officials and staff, and locked the entrance. Looting ensued, with the mob taking whatever they could. The factory contained raw materials and chemicals worth Tk150-200 crore, which were looted before the arson. During the looting, some of the looters were trapped inside the building but were later rescued by the fire service.”
The official mentioned that after the resignation of Sheikh Hasina as prime minister, arson followed looting at the factory on August 5, which destroyed five to six sheds of the factory.
He claimed that the incident had been orchestrated by Golam Dastagir’s enemies, with the primary intention of seizing the land. Repeated arson attacks were part of their strategy to take over the property, Shafiqul added.
