Staff Reporter :
The Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) on Thursday formed a seven-member committee to investigate the fire that ravaged a chemical warehouse and an adjacent garment factory in Shialbari, Mirpur.
The committee is headed by Lt Col Md Tajul Islam Chowdhury, Director (Operation and Maintenance) of the FSCD Directorate.
Although firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control on Wednesday, thick smoke has continued to billow from the site for the second consecutive day.
As of 2pm Thursday, four firefighting units were still deployed at the scene, working to cool down the smouldering debris, said Lima Khanam, a duty officer at the FSCD control room.
“The fire was brought under control around 4:20pm yesterday-about 28 hours after it began.
However, it hasn’t been fully extinguished yet, and smoke is still coming from the warehouse,” she said Thursday afternoon.
Khanam added that the situation remains stable and there is no immediate risk of the fire reigniting.
The blaze broke out around 11:30am on October 14 at the tin-shed chemical warehouse and quickly spread to the adjacent four-storey Anwar Fashion garment factory.
Locals reported hearing loud explosions as the flames engulfed all four floors. Workers tried to flee, but many became trapped inside.
The warehouse reportedly contained bleaching powder, plastic materials, and hydrogen peroxide. By 7:15pm Wednesday, rescue teams had recovered the charred bodies of 16 victims.
Toxic fumes from the site have affected the surrounding neighbourhood, leaving dozens of workers from nearby factories sick and forcing the temporary shutdown of several garment and plastic factories.
Many who returned to work on Thursday reportedly fell ill after inhaling the lingering fumes.
