3 die as Chattogram market catches fire

At least four people fell severely sick on the fifth floor of the building as smoke from the fire billowed up

At least three people have died after a fire broke out at a market in Chattogram's Reazuddin Bazar.

The fire broke out at Rizwan Complex and Mohammedia Plaza on Tamakumandi Lane around 2:15am on Friday, according to the Fire Service.

At least four people fell severely sick on the fifth floor of the building due to smoke that billowed up from the flames.

Two of the dead were identified as Md Shahed, 18, from Satkania's Bangla Bazar, and Mohammed Riduan, 45, from Satkania.

The firefighters took Shahed, who was already dead, and three others to the hospital on Friday morning, said officers from the Agrabad Fire Service Control Room.

The doctor on duty declared three people dead when they were taken to the hospital, said Sub Inspector Nurul Alam Ashek of the Chattogram Medical College Hospital Police Outpost. They choked to death due to the smoke, he said.

Two unidentified people were also admitted to the hospital, he added.

A five-storey building in the CDA market caught fire and seven units of their firefighters worked to tame the fire, said Abdur Razzak, deputy assistant director of the Fire Service.

The fire was doused around 5:30am on Friday.

The fire started at the Rizwan Complex, a trader said. Mobile accessories shops were located on the first and second floors and offices, warehouses and shared accommodation occupied the third floor and onwards.

Reazuddin Bazar, the biggest trade hub in Chattogram, spans a few square kilometres. It houses more than a hundred market buildings situated close to each other.

The Fire Service and Civil Defence has been saying that the buildings on Tamakumandi Lane were not built according to building regulations, and do not have sufficient space or proper fire management systems.

The administration and Fire Service have issued notices several times to warn the traders of the danger, but they have paid little heed and taken no initiative.