Fire breaks out at ‘medical equipment’ factory in Chattogram EPZ

The flames began on the seventh floor and later spread to the sixth floor, an official says

A fire has erupted on two floors of a medical equipment manufacturing company near the Chittagong Export Processing Zone, also known as the Chattogram EPZ.

EPZ Police Station chief Mohammed Jamir Hossain Zia said the fire started around 2pm on Thursday at a company named “Adams Cap & Textile Limited” on Road 5 of Sector 1 in the area.

He told bdnews24.com, “The fire began on the seventh floor of the eight-storey building, which houses the medical equipment manufacturing facility. It subsequently spread to the sixth floor.”

By around 4:30pm, the fire was “mostly under control”, according to CEPZ Executive Director Abdus Sobhan.

He told bdnews24.com that there have been no reports of casualties as yet.

Abdul Mannan, assistant deputy director of the Chattogram Zone Fire Service, told bdnews24.com: “We cannot confirm whether any workers or employees are trapped inside the factory. We are working to tame the fire.”

The official added that he would be able to provide further details later.

Around 800 workers are employed at the factory, said Abdullah Al Mahmud, special superintendent of the industrial police in Chattogram.

He said all the workers safely evacuated the building as soon as the fire broke out, adding that he had “heard there was a chemical factory on the fifth floor”.