Massive fire at Dhaka multi-storied building, no casualties reported

A huge fire has broken out at a 14-storey building in capital Dhaka.

The fire service said the fire at the ‘BTI Premier Plaza’, in Badda, started around 3am on Wednesday and took 26 fire-fighting units more than three hours to tame it.

The building has shops from the ground floor up to third floor, while the rest is residential apartments.

No casualties have been reported, said police.

Some of the senior residents of the building, however, have been taken to local hospitals due to trauma and respiratory problems caused by the smoke, said Badda police’s Inspector Delwar Hossain.

Amateur videos posted by locals on social media showed flames and smoke coming out of the building.

Quoting witnesses, the authorities said that the fire started at furniture shop on the first floor.

Locals spotted the flames, as most of them were awake for the Ramadan ritual of Sahri (the meal before starting to fast) when the fire broke out.

Building residents were evacuated to safety before the fire spread to other floors.

However, those in the upper floor apartments went to the roof to save themselves.

Witnesses said over 200 residents of the building were stranded on the roof for almost three hours until the flames were tamed.

The damage caused is yet to be assessed.

The fire-service has already initiated an inquiry by a five-member body, said Fire Service Control Room official Mahmudul Haque.