Millions lost in Otobi factory fire

Otobi’s biggest factory gutted in a blaze early Wednesday that destroyed furniture worth hundreds of millions of taka at Savar.

Fire Service officials told bdnews24.com the fire broke out around 9:45pm on Tuesday at the factory at Birulia Union’s Khagan area on the outskirts of capital Dhaka.

It was brought under control around 3am.

The top furniture maker’s officials said several people suffered burns but there were no specifics.

They said the fire had gutted the entire factory, which was set up over 30 bighas of land with corrugated tin roof over walls.

Otobi’s Chief Production Officer Faruk Ibne Raihan said expensive machinery, raw materials and furniture had been lost in the fire.

“The finished furniture inside that factory alone were worth about Tk 500 million,” he said.

He said this was the popular furniture maker’s largest factory, from which wooden furniture were exported all over the world.

Firefighters in frantic bid to douse the flames burning down Otobi's main factory at Savar's Birulia on Tuesday. Photo: bdnews24.com

Ten fire-fighting units from Savar, Ashulia, Tongi, EPZ, Dhamrai and Dhaka Central stations fought the blaze for about five hours.

Fire Service Director Major AKM Shakil Newaz said the fire spread quickly because of the stored chemicals inside. Chemical-filled drums exploded frequently with loud noise, he said.

The official said the fire-fighting capacity inside the factory was inadequate and the fire service faced difficulty as it had to haul in water from outside.

Savar Model Police Station OC Mostofa Kamal said they were yet to confirm the total loss or any casualties.

The factory’s receptionist Syed Asaduzzaman told bdnews24.com the flames were first seen at the lacquer section. Around 200 people were inside the factory at the time.

Some of them suffered minor burns while trying to rush out of the factory, he added.

Otobi officials said an electrical short-circuit caused the fire but firefighters said investigations will determine that.