A fire at Meghna Group’s M and U Trims button factory in Gazipur’s Sreepur on Sunday afternoon left one dead and five injured.
The identity of the deceased remains unknown.
The fire broke out at around 1:30pm, said Gazipur Fire Service Deputy Director Md Mamun, adding that seven firefighting units managed to bring the blaze under control after a three-and-a-half-hour effort.
The injured are Jakir Hossain, Khokon Mia, Rony, Lutfur Rahman and Ariful Islam.
The first three had sustained severe burns and had been transferred to the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said Dr Sushmita of Sreepur Upazila Health Complex.
Factory officials were unable to immediately provide an estimate of the damages.
According to locals, the fire began in a chemical storage warehouse on the south side of the factory shortly after workers went on their lunch break.
Factory authorities alerted the local fire station and initiated their internal fire control measures.
Locals said that at about 2:15pm, two firefighting units arrived and began extinguishing the flames, which had spread to a dust room on the western side of the warehouse.
Locals and factory workers also moved chemical drums stored nearby to a safer distance.
Meanwhile, a worker, speaking on condition of anonymity, said workers had heard a loud explosion from the chemical storage area on the south side of the factory.
“Upon rushing there, I saw several workers fleeing in panic, and a few were injured in the chaos.”
Md Mamun of the Gazipur fire service said the agency received the fire report at about 1:45pm.
“Seven fire service units from Mawna, Rajendrapur and Bhogra worked together and brought the blaze under control by 4pm,” he added.
“Even during my time at the site, I heard two explosions caused by chemical drums. The explosions filled the surrounding area with smoke.
“About 120 chemical drums were stored near the production shed, but thanks to the coordinated efforts of our firefighters and locals, these were safely moved to a secure distance. Otherwise, the fire could have turned far more devastating.”
Preliminary investigations suggest that the blaze originated in the waste chemical warehouse.
In the afternoon, Sreepur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Barrister Sajib Ahmed, the assistant commissioner (Land) and BNP leaders visited the fire-damaged factory to assess the situation.
