Fire at high-rise in Dhaka's Babubazar brought under control

Emergency responders have doused a fire that broke out in a 13-storey building in Dhaka’s Babubazar.

The incident occurred in a room on the sixth floor of the building called Haji Tower around 6:45am on Tuesday, according to the Fire Service. 

The fire was brought under control half an hour later at 7:20am, Fire Service Assistant Director Kazi Nazmuzzaman said.

"The room was used to apply the finishing touch to ready-made bags. The fire was doused shortly after it erupted. Locals said the fire was sparked by an electric short-circuit. However, nothing can be confirmed without an investigation,” he added.

There were no casualties in the incident as all occupants of the building, used for both commercial and residential purposes, had been evacuated, according to Nazmuzzaman. 

Although a total of nine firefighting units, including two from Sadarghat Fire Station, five from Siddiqbazar, and two from Sutrapur, were sent to the scene, only five units were required to tackle the fire, the officer said.