Child among three dead in Eskaton garage fire

Three people, including a child, have died in a fire in Dhaka’s Eskaton.

The blaze originated from the garage of a five-storey building on Dilu Road at 4am Thursday, according to Fire Service personnel.

Fire Service personnel arrived on the scene with nine units and tamed the flames in half an hour.

The rescuers found three people dead on the scene while five others have been hospitalised, said the Fire Service’s Control Room officer Ershad Hossain. But the dead are yet to be identified.

The authorities recovered a body from the garage while the other victims, including the child, were found on the staircase on the third floor.

One of the dead has been identified as 40-year-old Abdul Quader Liton.

Liton worked in a buying house named Classic Fashion International on the building's first floor, according to his brother-in-law Zahir Alam. He lived in a room next to the garage on the ground floor, Zahir told reporters at DMCH.

Relatives believe 'Rushdee', the child of second-floor residents Shahidul Kirmani Roni and Jannatul Ferdous, is one of the other fatalities.

"The body is burnt beyond recognition but my nephew is missing," said Jannatul's brother Shahadat Hossain Biplob.

Shahidul, 39, and Jannatul, 34, have been admitted to the burns unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

"I spoke to one of the other victims of the fire. He said Rushdee slipped from his parents' hands as they were rushing down the stairs," said Biplob.

According to doctors, Shahidul suffered 43 percent burns to his body while Jannat got 95 percent of her body burnt, said Bachchu Mia, an inspector of DMCH's police outpost.

Shahidul is the finance manager of VIVP Estate Management firm, said his father AKM Shahidullah, senior production manager of the Daily Kaler Kantho. Jannatul works in the finance department of Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

The third body was so charred that it was not even possible to identify the victim's gender, according to Hatirjheel police.

Fifth-floor residents Sumaiya Akhter, 30, 'Mahadi', 9, and nine-month-old Mahmudul Haque were treated in DMCH's emergency room after they fell sick from inhaling smoke. But they are out of danger now, said Bachchu.

Five cars in the garage were burnt in the fire but the authorities are yet to determine how it broke out.