Six burnt as fire ravages building in Tongi

Traders claim the fire destroyed billions of taka worth of goods stored at various warehouses in the building

At least six people have suffered burn injuries after a fire broke out at a seven-storey building in Gazipur’s Tongi.

The fire was reported at Marium Mansion in the Tongi Bazar area around 5:30 am on Wednesday.

Six firefighting units from Tongi and Uttara were dispatched to the scene and took control of the blaze around 7:10 am, according to the Fire Service.

The building houses a branch of NRBC Bank on its first floor, while the upper floors are used by local traders as warehouses, according to Lokman Hossain, a resident of the area.

The fire reportedly originated on the third floor. Despite efforts by the building occupants and locals to extinguish it, the fire rapidly escalated and spread to the fifth and sixth floors.

Three firefighting units from Tongi initially attempted to douse the fire, but as the situation intensified, three more units from Uttara were called in for support, said Abu Mohammad Sajedul Kabir Joarder, a Tongi Fire Service official.

Md Sohel and Monir Hossain, owners of Afrin Traders, claimed that the fire damaged several billions of taka worth of goods stored in the warehouses.

The cause of the fire and the full extent of the damage will be determined after an investigation, said Md Shafiqul Islam, deputy assistant director of the Fire Service's Dhaka Zone-3.

Likhon Hossain, a trader who was at the building during the incident, said he and five others suffered minor burn injuries and received first aid at a local clinic.