No fire safety measures in Hazaribagh building that caught fire: Fire Service

A fire breaks out at a seven-storey leather warehouse, and twelve Fire Service units put it out in two and a half hours

A seven-storey building in Hazaribagh’s Tannery Wet Market area caught fire on Friday, and the Fire Service has confirmed that the building had no fire safety measures despite housing factories that dealt with flammable materials like plastic and leather.

Lt Col Md Tajul Islam, the director of operations and maintenance at the Fire Service, told reporters at the scene: "The building is quite old, and despite the presence of combustible materials, there was no fire safety plan in place. We had issued several notices on behalf of the Fire Service."

The fire, which started on the fourth floor at around 2:15pm, spread to the fifth and sixth floors.

Fire Service units worked for two and a half hours to bring the blaze under control by 4:45pm.

Tajul confirmed there were no casualties, saying: "Had the fire spread further, casualties could have occurred because the building housed factories dealing with plastic, leather, and other flammable materials. We were worried as the area is congested, and if the fire had spread, it could have led to significant loss of life. We successfully managed to prevent that, which is a major success."

The fire-fighting teams also faced difficulties accessing the building due to narrow roads, closely packed buildings, crowds of onlookers, and a water shortage.

"Despite bringing all the necessary equipment, we could not fully utilise them. The roads here are very narrow, and buildings are tightly packed together. We brought 13 units, but not all of them could operate," said Tajul.

When asked about the cause of the fire, he said: "The exact cause has not been determined yet, but it could have been due to a short circuit or a cigarette. The actual cause will be known after an investigation."