Fire service brings another blaze in Bangabazar area under control

The fire broke out at Maleka Market, but initial reports incorrectly identified the building as Barishal Plaza

Firefighters attempt to bring the blaze at Dhaka’s Bangabazar under control on Tuesday, Apr 4, 2023. File photo

The fire service has another blaze in the Bangabazar marketplace area under control, four days after thousands of shops went up in smoke.

Initial reports suggested the fire had started at Barishal Plaza but was later confirmed to be at Maleka Market.

Twenty-four fire service units went to the scene after the flames were reported on Saturday afternoon.

They managed to bring the fire under control at 9:40 am after an hour and 15 minutes of effort, according to Shahjahan Sikdar, senior staff officer of the fire service.

Twenty minutes after the fire started, the fire service identified the scene of the fire as Islamia Market near Bagabazar. Half an hour later, they said the fire had started at Barishal Plaza, not Islamia Market.

After media reports were published naming Barishal Plaza, traders at the market said there was no fire at Barishal Plaza. The fire service later confirmed the affected building was Maleka Market.

The fire started on the fourth floor of the Maleka Market, but it was difficult to determine which building was affected as they were so close together, said Anowarul Islam, an inspector for the fire service.

He said an electrical short circuit is initially believed to be responsible for the fire at a warehouse in Maleka Market.

However, the exact cause of the fire and the extent of the damages would be confirmed after an investigation.

The latest incident occurred just a day after the fire service authorities called off their firefighting work in the area, saying the flames were doused entirely.

Around 5,000 shops were gutted in the Apr 4 blaze at Bangabazar, Dhaka's largest market for cheaper clothes.