16 killed as fire from illegal chemical warehouse engulfs building in Mirpur
The chemical warehouse and the garment factory were operating illegally — without any trade licence, fire safety clearance, or occupancy certificate, according to officials.
Highlights
- 16 killed in Mirpur chemical warehouse and garment factory fire
- Blaze suspected from illegal chemical storage
- Building lacked licences and safety measures
- Toxic gas caused instant deaths
At least 16 people were killed and several others injured in a fire that swept through a chemical warehouse and a garment factory in Mirpur's Shialbari area in Dhaka today (14 October), according to fire service officials.
Officials and eyewitnesses suspect the fire originated from the illegal chemical warehouse on the ground floor before spreading rapidly to the garment factory.
"We initially believe the fire started in the chemical warehouse. Once the chemicals caught fire, the blaze spread quickly to nearby structures," a fire service official told The Business Standard.
Local resident Suman said he heard a loud explosion before seeing flames rise from the warehouse. "Workers at the site said a boiler blast in the washing factory above caused the fire in the chemical storage. We also heard a blast-like sound," he said.
Officials from the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), the Fire Service, and Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) later confirmed that the warehouse and the garment factory were operating illegally — without any trade licence, fire safety clearance, or occupancy certificate.
"We checked our records and found no trade licences for these buildings," said Mohammad Saiful Islam, zonal executive officer (Zone-2) of DNCC. "If they were being used as chemical warehouses, that was entirely illegal."
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Fire Service Inspector Arjun Barai from the Mirpur zone said, "The site had neither fire exits nor firefighting equipment. They had no licence to operate."
Saleh Ahmed Jakaria, director (Zone-3) of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) added that the building was old and not approved for such industrial activity. "Our initial findings show that the chemical warehouse had no authorisation. Detailed investigation is underway," he said.
Meanwhile, officials of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) claimed that they had no knowledge or approval record of the chemical warehouse in Mirpur.
Speaking to The Business Standard, Atiqur Rahman, deputy inspector general (DIG) of DIFE's Dhaka region, said, "We only learned that the fire occurred in a chemical warehouse. However, we could not identify who owns the establishment.
"There is no record with us that a chemical warehouse existed there. It is impossible for us to know if someone sets up a warehouse like this inside a residential building."
Labour Inspector Md Ahsan Jamil echoed the statement, adding, "We are still unable to trace the owners of the chemical warehouse."
Under the law, any factory or establishment storing chemicals must obtain prior approval from DIFE.
Engineer Farid Ahmed, joint inspector general (JIG) of DIFE, said, "Whether it is a factory or not, any chemical warehouse must be approved by DIFE according to the law."
When asked why such warehouses fall outside DIFE's monitoring, a senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, "There are millions of such establishments and factories in Dhaka. In practice, it is difficult to monitor all of them."
Meanwhile, in a statement, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) said the garment factory does not belong to any BGMEA member.
The organisation also expressed grief over the casualties in the tragic incident.
Toxic gas caused instant deaths
The blaze started at around 11:45am. As of 9pm, the fire in the chemical warehouse could not be brought under control. However, the fire at the factory was brought under control after about three hours of effort.
The injured have been admitted to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery and the bodies of the deceased will be sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. The identities of the victims are yet to be known.
According to sources, among the 16 bodies recovered from the site, it has been initially identified that nine were men and seven were women.
Speaking at a press briefing this evening, Fire Service and Civil Defence Director (Operations and Maintenance) Lt Col Tajul Islam Chowdhury said a number of victims died due to inhalation of toxic gas.
"You know the amount of chemicals involved in the explosion; due to the flashover and toxic gas, they became unconscious," he said.
"The four-story garment factory has a tin roof. There is a grilled door to access the roof, but it was locked. Because of this, they could not go upstairs."
Tajul added that the warehouse still remains hazardous. "There were six to seven types of chemicals stored there. Currently, efforts are underway to search for bodies in the chemical warehouse."
The fire service official also noted that the nine bodies recovered from the garment factory have been burned to such an extent that identification is not possible without DNA testing.
Responding to journalists' questions, Tajul said that fire personnel, upon arriving at the scene, saw flames at both establishments simultaneously. "It is still not confirmed whether the fire originated in the chemical warehouse or the garment factory."
He added, "Our operation is still ongoing. We will be able to provide detailed information once the operation is complete."
Noting that the situation at the chemical warehouse is dangerous, the official said firefighters are not being allowed inside. Various technologies, including drones, are being used to control the fire, he said.
A total of 12 firefighting units were dispatched to the scene, Tajul earlier said.
He also urged everyone to stay at least 300 yards away from the fire site.
Talha Bin Jashim, an official at the Fire Service and Civil Defence's media cell, told The Business Standard that bleaching powder, plastic and hydrogen peroxide were stored inside the warehouse.
Meanwhile, the owners of two garment factories located nearby stopped production and gave workers leave.
Members from the Bangladesh Army, police and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were deployed at the scene to support the rescue operation.
Meanwhile, in a condolence message, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus expressed grief over the deaths and directed the authorities concerned to investigate the cause of the fire and provide necessary assistance to the victims.
Past incidents
Poor fire and building safety standards lead to dozens of such disasters in Bangladesh each year, and past accidents have tarnished the country's idustrial sector.
The 2010 Nimtoli fire remains one of the deadliest tragedies in Bangladesh – a disaster that claimed 124 lives and exposed the dangers of unregulated chemical storage in residential areas.
Fifteen years on, families of the victims continue to wait for justice as there has been no substantive progress in the investigation.
In 2013, more than 1,100 people were killed when the multi-story Rana Plaza building housing garment factories suddenly collapsed.
On 15 August 2022, a fire at a polythene factory in Old Dhaka's Chawkbazar killed six restaurant workers.
