Gazipur fire: Minister Hi-Tech Park ignored govt’s early warning

The authorities of Minister Hi-Tech Park Ltd, a sister concern of MyOne Electronics, did not pay heed to the early warning of fire made by the government.

A fire broke out in the six-storey factory in Gazipur's Dhirasram on Friday morning before spreading to an adjacent six-storey building, according to firefighters.

"We'd sent the factory authorities a notice around 20 to 25 days ago over their failure to install fire alarms and adequate safety equipment in the building. But they didn't respond to it,” said Md Motalib Mia, assistant inspector general of Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishment.

Action will be taken against the factory authorities, he said.

Sixteen units of the fire service subsequently tamed the fire after about five hours of efforts.

The fire originated from a warehouse on the building's top floor and several electronic goods were stored there, said Lt Col Mohammad Zillur Rahman, director (operations) of the fire service headquarters in a briefing after the fire incident.

“The warehouse stuffed with goods was completely burned. It was not possible for firefighters to enter inside the warehouse. Yet, our staff worked tirelessly to control the fire. ”

Zillur Rahman said no information was available on the casualties in the fire. It is not yet known how the fire started.

"We had to try hard to extinguish the blaze because it spread to the whole floor. We did not see the factory had its own equipment and management to put out the fire. ”

Assistant Director of the Fire Service Headquarters Saleh Uddin told bdnews24.com that he too did not see adequate fire safety measures in the factory. They had to carry out their work using the water reserved in the nearby Markwar Limited.

Motalib Mia told bdnews24.com at the scene, "This factory didn't carry out fire drills on a regular basis. Having a warehouse on the sixth floor is also against regulations."

MA Razzak Khan, the chairman of MyOne Electronics and Minister Hi-Tech Park Ltd, skirted questions on the issue of fire safety measures in the building but said, "Factory operations were closed at the time. We don't know how the fire broke out on the sixth floor."

The company's Head of Media KMG Kibria said various home appliances manufactured in the factory were stored on the sixth floor. But he could not provide an estimate of the value of the goods.

Aside from refrigerators and televisions, the factory also produces other electronic goods such as rice cookers and irons, said the company's DGM (Accounts and Finance) Md Rafiqul Islam.

The factory employs around 2,000 workers but its operations were closed on Friday, he said.

Deputy Commissioner SM Tariqul Islam who visited the scene said a six-member inquiry committee, headed by the additional district magistrate has been constituted to investigate the cause of the fire at the factory. The panel has been asked to report within five working days.