Man dies, parents critical after transformer blast sparks fire in Dhaka's Gendaria

A transformer blew up outside a two-storey building, triggering a fire that quickly engulfed their second-floor flat

A man has died and his parents are in critical condition after a transformer explosion sparked a fire at their home in Dhaka’s Gendaria.

The fire broke out around 2am on Friday when a transformer blew up outside a two-storey building, police said. Flames spread quickly to the second floor, where the family lived.

Mejbah Uddin, 28, who suffered burns over his entire body, succumbed to his wounds on Friday at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.

"He was brought in almost dead. After examinations, we declared him dead at 1pm,” said Dr Sultan Mahmud Shikdar, a resident surgeon at the facility.

His father, 65-year-old Md Muslim, and mother 50-year-old Salma Begum, are undergoing treatment at the burn institute with burns on 90 percent of their bodies.

Fire Service official Lima Khanom said two units were sent to the scene after the incident was reported at 2:10am. They managed to bring the fire under control within 17 minutes.

Locals had already rushed the injured to hospital before firefighters arrived.

Police said the fire was triggered by an explosion of both the transformer and the house’s IPS (instant power supply) unit.