Massive fire breaks out at Bashundhara Tissue Paper Mill in Gazaria, causes heavy losses

A fire broke out at Bashundhara Tissue Paper Mill, owned by Bashundhara Group, in Gazaria Upazila of Munshiganj last night (11 September), which is believed to have caused damage worth lakhs.

The fire originated at around 11:30pm at Unit 3 of the factory, according to employees. 

It was brought under control by 2am after efforts from multiple fire service units.

Shahidul Islam, an employee of the mill and witness to the incident, said, "Around 11:30pm we noticed flames in the garage adjacent to Unit 3. Later, the fire spread into the unit, which produces various types of diapers. 

"At first, the company's staff tried to put it out, then we informed the fire service. The fire was finally brought under control at around 2am."

Another employee, Abdus Subhan, said, "We saw the fire burning from 11:30pm until 2am. It created panic among us, and people started running around in fear."

Gazaria Fire Service Station Officer Md Firoz Mia said, "We were informed just after midnight. Two units from the Gazaria station reached the site and began their operations. Later, two more units from nearby stations joined them. After one and a half hours of effort, the fire was largely under control by 1:30am and completely doused by 2am."

Munshiganj Fire Service Deputy Assistant Director Shafiqul Islam, who visited the site, said, "There was no electricity in the area at the time. Smoking is prohibited where the fire started. We are investigating the cause of the blaze."

"Primarily, we estimate the losses to be around Tk50 lakh," he added. 

Gazaria Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Anwar Alam Azad said, "We rushed to the spot after receiving information. The situation is now normal after the fire was brought under control."