Titas ignored call to fix gas line leak which caused fire at Banani house

The residents of the Banani house that caught fire from a gas line leak had informed the state’s Titas Gas company about the leak hours before the fire.

But by the time Titas workers reached the spot, the fire -- originating from the pipeline – had already damaged the building.

Building proprietor Shamsul Alam, whose son suffered severe burns, has said he will file a case against Titas, seeking damages.

Fire Service officials said the fire, which started around 1:45am on Friday, gutted the second to fifth floors of the six-storey building at Banani Road No. 23.

Residents of the floors rushed to the roof and remained stranded there until fire fighters brought them down to safety.

Seven were hurt in the incident. Of them, the landlord’s son Naved Imtiaj received burn injuries while the others were injured in a panic rush to get to safety, police said. 

The front walls of the first to fifth floors of the building collapsed when the fire started with an explosion. The false pillars also developed cracks.

Police said they would not let residents return to the building until after BUET engineers had visited the site and given clearance.

One person from each flat was allowed to take out valuables.

Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakha (RAJUK) and Titas officials visited the spot in the afternoon.

RAJUK official Md Adiluzzaman said he was not sure the explosion had caused any structural damage to the building.

“But the building needs much repair work to become habitable again,” he said

“The flats on the front side have been ravaged. The other flats have not been damaged much, but their doors and windows are broken,” he added.

The residents of the building and their neighbours said they had smelt gas leaking from the pipe under a sewerage line next to the building for several days.

A recent repair work of the sewerage line might have caused the leak, they said.

Dhaka North Mayor Annisul Huq, while visiting the site in the afternoon, said a city corporation contractor filed a written compliant with Titas over the leak around Wednesday.

A resident of the building said they had phoned the Titas authorities around 11pm on Thursday to complain about the gas leak, but Titas sent no one, saying it lacked workforce.

Titas workers reached the site around one and a half hours after the explosion and blocked the supply through the line.

Titas Gas Deputy Director Harun-or-Rashid also said the company is having a manpower crisis.

A couple and their three sons were burnt in a fire that broke out from a kitchen gas pipeline leak at Uttara on Feb 26.

Only one child has survived.