At least 10 dead, scores injured as fire devastates buildings in Dhaka’s Chawkbazar

A massive blaze has devastated several buildings in Old Dhaka’s Chawkbazar for several hours, leaving at least 10 people dead and scores injured, some of them critically.

The fire broke out in a four-storey building behind the Shahi Mosque at Churihatta around 10:30pm on Wednesday and later spread to four other buildings in a grim reminder of the fatal 2010 Nimtali fire.

Fire Service and Civil Defence Director General Ali Ahmed Khan told the media at 2:30am on Thursday that at least five bodies were seen in the buildings on the narrow street.

Firefighters work at the scene of a fire that broke out at a chemical warehouse in Dhaka, Bangladesh February 21, 2019. Reuters

Around an hour later, he put the number of dead bodies at 10 to 11 as some 30 firefighting units were working at the scene.

They were yet to complete scanning all the buildings, he added.  

Besides putting out small flames here and there inside the buildings, the firefighters started a rescue operation using ladders.

The fire crews had finally brought the fire under control, Dhaka South Mayor Mohammad Sayeed Khokon said while visiting the site around 2:30am.

An electric transformer on the street exploded after the fire had started, witnesses said.

A view of a scene of a fire that broke out at a chemical warehouse in Dhaka, Bangladesh February 20, 2019. Reuters

The explosion also set some cars ablaze and gas cylinders of the vehicles burst into flames, the witnesses said.

One or two people might have died on the street, they said.  

At least 30 people injured in the incident were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital until 12:15am, DMCH police camp in-charge Bachchu Mia told bdnews24.com.

“More patients are coming in,” he added.

At least 10 of the injured were burnt while the others sustained other forms of injury including cuts from broken glasses.

Some broke their bones by jumping off the buildings.

Firefighters work at the scene of a fire that broke out at a chemical warehouse in Dhaka, Bangladesh February 21, 2019. Reuters

Doctor Hossain Imam at the hospital’s National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery said nine patients were admitted to the institute while another was given first aid.

Four of the patients were seriously injured while another, ‘Sohag’, was in critical condition, according to the physician.

The DMCH authorities hung a list of those admitted to the hospital as relatives rushed to the hospital to find their loved ones.  

One ‘Hafiz’ was searching for three of his relatives at 3:30am.

His niece, her wife and their two children were travelling through the street at the time of the fire incident, but the family lost contact with them later, Hafiz said.  

“I’ve found their elder son. One side of his body has been burnt. I’ve searched other hospitals as well but haven’t found the three others yet,” he said.

The ground floor of the building, where the fire originated, housed some shops.

The first floor was being used as a warehouse of different products, including plastic goods, cosmetics and perfume.

Some families lived on the other floors, a resident of the area said.

The fire originated from an electric short circuit, Mohammad Ibrahim Khan, a deputy commissioner at Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told bdnews24.com.

Firefighters work at the scene of a fire that broke out at a chemical warehouse in Dhaka, Bangladesh February 21, 2019. Reuters

It spread swiftly to Rajomni Restaurant next to the four-storey building and then to two more buildings across the street.

The fire crews were struggling to tame the blaze as the street is very narrow.

A committee formed after the Nimtali fire killed 127 a decade ago recommended shifting of chemical warehouses and banning their trade in the residential areas to prevent a repeat of such disasters.

It also recommended construction of buildings according to approved plan and keeping fire extinguishers in every house.

Firefighters work at the scene of a fire that broke out at a chemical warehouse in Dhaka, Bangladesh February 21, 2019. Reuters

Locals said firefighters were late to arrive at the scene and that there was an acute water crisis at Nimtali, which is also an Old Dhaka neighbourhood. These factors had prevented the blaze from being extinguished quickly.

At Chawkbazar, the fire fighters used water from the mosque to douse the fire.

Most of the buildings in the area are worn down. Some expressed concern that the damaged buildings may collapse.

Police struggled to manage the onlookers.