Fire at Gazipur RMG factory under control

Fire fighters have managed to bring under control the flames at an apparel-manufacturing factory in Gazipur after almost six hours of frantic efforts.

The eight-storey factory building of Matrix Sweater Ltd caught fire around 7am on Tuesday.

As many as 24 fire-fighting units joined the operation and brought the fire under control at about 1pm, Gazipur Fire Service’s Md Aktaruzzaman Liton told reporters at the venue.

Factory authorities claimed the fire caused losses of Tk 1 billion.

After the outbreak of the fire, the management of several other nearby factories closed down their units for safety reasons. Traffic was also disrupted on the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway.

Some locals who were injured while trying to extinguish the fire were taken to a local hospital, said a Tongi fire fighter.

Twenty-four units from Tongi, EPZ and Savar Fire Stations worked hard to bring the massive fire under control, a fire service official told bdnews24.com.

The fire fighters could not say what sparked the fire.

There were finished products awaiting export on the seventh floor of the building, Animesh Mazumder, a director of Matrix Sweaters Ltd, told bdnews24.com.

According to his estimate, the damage amounted to Tk 1 billion. More than 6,000 workers are employed by the factory.

Enquiry committee formed

The Gazipur district authority has formed a five-member committee to inquire about the fire.

A fire had broken out at this factory four days ago. The workers had extinguished that fire at once and no losses had been reported.

Morshedul Islam of Tongi Fire Service said Tuesday’s fire broke out in the morning on the top floor of the eight storied factory building.

It spread rapidly and went out of control when several ready-made sweaters caught fire.

The factory authorities claim that goods worth at least 10 crore taka have been burnt.

The cause of the fire and exact amount of losses cannot be ascertained before the inquiry, they said.

Fire Service Officer Shakil said a lot of poisonous gas was released when the sweaters, which were of acrylic and synthetic material, began to burn.

As a consequence, some fire fighters and factory workers became sick.

For security reasons nearby factories were declared closed on Tuesday, roads were closed down and vehicles were asked to use by-roads for a few hours.

AKM Mozammel Haque, Minister for Freedom Fighter Affairs; Mohammad Harunur Rashid, Superintendent of Police Gazipur; and Secretary General Md. Jahangir Alam, Gazipur City Awami League visited the spot.

SM Alam, Deputy Commissioner, Gazipur said a five-member inquiry committee headed by the Additional District Magistrate will report within seven working days the cause of the fire.