Between locked stairway and leaping flames, Bangladesh workers perish in a burning factory

Many lives could have been saved from the blaze in Hashem Foods Ltd's factory in Narayanganj’s Rupganj had the exit staircase in the building been left unlocked, according to a fire service official.

Rescuers retrieved 49 charred bodies from the debris of the burning factory on Friday, bringing the death toll to 52.

“We rescued 25 people after setting a ladder to the rooftop. We could have saved more if others could reach the rooftop,” said Debashish Bardhan, deputy director of the Fire Service and Civil Defence.

The factory of Hashem Foods owned by Sajeeb Group was used to produce juice, beverages and other food products. The six-floor building had two staircases but one of them had its exit on the rooftop locked, he said.

Consequently, those who were on the fourth floor could neither get to the rooftop nor the ground floor, as the staircase landing had been engulfed in flames, according to Debabish.

However, he did not comment on the fire-fighting system in the factory and said a probe panel will look into the matter.

The factory caught fire at 5:30 pm on Thursday. As of 3 pm Friday, firefighters were still struggling to tame the flames.

“Each floor of the factory is 35,000 square feet in size with only two sets of stairs. The blaze had spread to the staircase as well, preventing the workers from escaping,” said Fire Service Director Siddique Mohammad Zulfikar Rahman.

“We’re now trying to reach the fifth and sixth floor. The floors are huge but there have small compartments inside, which has made it difficult to put out the fire."

The thick smoke billowing out of the building is also hindering access to the rooftop, according to Zulfikar.