Chawkbazar fire: Removal of stored chemicals begins, mayor issues warning

The Dhaka South City Corporation authority has begun to remove a substantial amount of illegally stored chemicals from the basement of the Hajji Wahed Manzil building, which was most heavily damaged after the fire at Old Dhaka’s Chawkbazar.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 23 Feb 2019, 11:33 AM
Updated : 23 Feb 2019, 12:09 PM

Dhaka South Mayor Sayeed Khokon announced that this was the start of the removal of chemicals warehouses and factories from Old Dhaka.

Stern action would be taken against anyone found to be storing chemicals illegally in their home, he said.

The mayor inspected the Hajji Wahed Manzil building storage site during a visit to the area on Saturday afternoon. Two trucks then began removing the goods in two phases.

Chawkbazar police Inspector Md Murad said that the chemicals were being moved to the Keraniganj Jhilmil Project area under the supervision of the city corporation.

The mayor requested anyone with information regarding buildings used to store chemicals to inform the city corporation, their local councillors or the police.

A CCTV video showed that the fire started from a car’s gas cylinder, the mayor said.

The massive blaze at Chawkbazar’s Churihatti intersection has taken 67 lives so far. Nine of the injured are being treated at the Dhaka Medical Burn Unit several and are in poor condition.

According to eyewitnesses, the fire started after a gas cylinder on a pickup truck exploded at the intersection. The fire then spread to five nearby buildings, including the Hajji Wahed Manzil building.

Fire service officials believe the fire was further stoked by the combustible chemicals, plastics and cosmetics at nearby stores and warehouses.

The fire gutted the bottom two floors of the Hajji Wahed Manzil building, tearing through the dozen or so stores on the ground floor and the perfume and plastic materials warehouse on the second storey.

On Thursday morning fire service officials opened the basement of the building to find rows and rows of chemical drums and stacks of bags. They were shocked to imagine how much worse the situation would have been if the fire had reached the highly combustible materials.

The Dhaka South City Corporation has removed the burnt refuse from the Churihatta intersection. Warnings have been posted regarding the risks to four of the nearby buildings. Power, gas and water supply to nearby buildings have been reinstated.

 

Two new utility poles are being set up south of the Churihatta Shahi Jamme Mosque and on the northeast corner of the intersection after the fire damaged four poles in the area.

“The four previous utility poles were smaller,” contractor Abul Kashem said. “The two we have now are larger and will handle the load of all four.”

A committee from the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief are inspecting the area. Committee convener Md Akram Hossain said that the panel has been instructed to determine the cause of the fire and what could be done to prevent such tragedies in the future. They must also submit a list of the missing.

Asked about their findings so far, he said:

“The second storey of the Wahed building contained plastic fibres and numerous bottles of spray. They were a significant cause of the fire spreading.”

“Second, the roads are narrow and the area is crowded. The vehicles in the area were unable to move quickly. If they had done so there would have been fewer casualties.”

Hossain said the team was to submit its final report to the ministry by Saturday.