Seven hours on, Keraniganj building fire yet to be contained

A fire at a multi-storey building complex in Keraniganj on the outskirts of Dhaka has yet to be tamed more than seven hours after it broke out.

Fourteen firefighting units are battling the flames, which erupted in the basement of the Jabale Noor Tower in the Aganagar area near Babubazar around 5:30am on Saturday, according to officials.

Fire Service media officer Shahjahan Sikder said the complex is made up of several separate buildings but shares a single basement. It houses garment shops and small scrap warehouses on the lower floors, with residential apartments above.

“There are only two access points to the basement. We have had to cut open locks and shutters of shops to reach the fire, which is why it is taking time,” said Shahjahan.

He added that the Fire Service received the first call at 5:37am and the first unit arrived within eight minutes. Units from Keraniganj, Sadarghat and Siddique Bazar fire stations have been deployed to tackle the fire.

At least 42 people have been rescued from the building and brought to safety using various staircases, according to Fire Service media officer Anwarul Islam.

He said the fire had broken out in a basement beneath seven buildings, describing the site as “very complicated” with access available from only one side.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Authorities said an investigation would be carried out once the situation was fully under control to determine the cause of the fire.