Poor ventilation, packed materials delay full extinguishing of Keraniganj tower blaze: Fire Service
Also mentioned building established without following any rules or regulations
The fire at Jabal-e-Noor Tower in the Aganagar area of Dhaka's South Keraniganj was brought under control this afternoon (13 December) after 12 hours of effort but it will take more time to fully extinguish the blaze, according to the Fire Service and Civil Defence.
"Jabal-e-Noor Tower comprises a total of seven buildings, including residential flats, a market and shops. Although the seven buildings are separate, they share the same basement. Every part of the buildings is packed with jute and garment materials. Each shop, large or small, was shuttered and locked with collapsible gates. That is why it took us so long to bring the fire under control," said Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, operations and maintenance director of the Fire Service.
Terming the building risky, he said that it virtually has no ventilation, and firefighters are working step by step at great risk.
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"Garments materials are burning and producing thick black smoke. It will take a long time to fully extinguish the fire, possibly until tomorrow," he told reporters at the scene.
He expressed hope that once the goods inside the shops are taken out, the sources of the fire will lessen and it won't spread any further.
Asked whether there were any casualties, he said they had received no reports of injuries or deaths.
When asked about the cause of the fire and the extent of damage, the fire service director said, "After the fire is extinguished, we will investigate the cause. The extent of the losses also cannot be stated at this moment."
Stating that the building was constructed in an unplanned manner, he further said it had already been declared risky.
"It was built without following any rules or regulations. A survey will be needed to determine whether it can be used any longer," he said.
At 5:37am this morning, the Fire Service received news of the fire on the ground floor of the 12‑storey building. After 11.5 hours of effort, firefighters brought the fire under control at 5:03pm.
Forty-five people were rescued from the building with no casualties reported.
