16 killed as fire from illegal chemical warehouse engulfs Mirpur garment factory
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
What started as an ordinary day in Mirpur's Rupnagar turned tragic today when a massive fire, which officials suspected to have originated from an illegal chemical warehouse in the Shialbari area, swept through an adjacent multistorey building housing a garment factory, killing at least 16 people.
Fire Service and Civil Defence officials confirmed the death toll at a press briefing in the evening, warning that casualties may climb further.
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Fire Service and Civil Defence officials confirmed the death toll at a press briefing in the evening, warning the number may climb further, while the injured were admitted to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.
In an earlier briefing, the Fire Service said the blaze was suspected to have originated from the warehouse around 11:40am. Twelve firefighting units were gradually dispatched to the scene and managed to bring the flames at a gamerment factory under control after hours.
However, the warehouse was reportedly still smouldering at the time of filing this report.
The identities of the deceased, who included seven females, were yet to be ascertained, fire service officials said, adding the 16 bodies, sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, were recovered from the garment factory side of the multistory building. Most of them were believed to be factory workers.
"Initially, we suspect that the fire originated from the chemical warehouse and the flames spread rapidly and engulfed the adjacent building," said one of the officials.
The Fire Service also said most of the deaths were caused by the spread of toxic gas and the roof door of the building being locked. Officials also suspect an explosion from the warehouse released poisonous fumes, which quickly spread through the garment factory building.
Talha Bin Jashim, an official at the Fire Service media cell, said bleaching powder, plastic, and hydrogen peroxide were stored inside the illegal warehouse.
Locals said that around 11:30am they heard a loud explosion at the chemical warehouse, Alam Traders, after which fire and smoke spread to the adjacent building housing a garment factory named NR Fashion on the second and third floors. It remains unclear how many factories the building contains.
NR Fashion, which is not listed as a member of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), has 35 workers and produces garments on a subcontract basis.
Nazrul Islam, the owner of the factory, told TBS, "We are still not sure how many of our workers have been killed. We operate on subcontracted orders through local channels. The finished products were mainly exported to markets such as Saudi Arabia, Dubai, and Malaysia."
Sumon, a local resident, told TBS, "We rushed to the scene after hearing a loud explosion and saw flames spreading from the chemical warehouse."
While members of the Army, police, RAB, BGB and Fire Service worked together to extinguish the blaze and rescue those trapped, hundreds gathered outside – many of them relatives of the victims – crying out for help.
With trembling hands and tearful eyes, Nasima Begum recounted her final conversation with her husband, Nazmul Islam, who worked on the second floor of the garments factory.
"Nasima, the factory is on fire… save me!" — these were the last words Nasima heard from her husband before the phone went disconnected. Since then, she has not heard from him.
The Fire Service said that the bodies of the 16 victims were recovered from the garment section of the building.
Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, executive director of the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies, said, "The deaths of 16 people are the result of collective negligence by the chemical warehouse owners, factory owners, and both government and private authorities."
He added, "In the past, whenever such incidents have occurred and workers were killed, no justice was served. Because of this factories still cannot be made safe for workers."
Rezwan Selim, vice president of BGMEA, told TBS, "No BGMEA member factory was affected by the fire."
Illegal warehouse
Officials of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) told The Business Standard that they had no record of any chemical warehouse operating there. However, the garment factory was authorised by DIFE.
Any factory or establishment housing a chemical warehouse must obtain approval from DIFE.
Atiqur Rahman, deputy inspector general (DIG) of DIFE's Dhaka region, told TBS, "We learned that the fire broke out in what turned out to be a chemical warehouse. However, we could not identify who owns the facility."
Officials from the Dhaka North City Corporation and Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) also confirmed that the chemical warehouse had no occupancy certificate or license to operate.
"We checked our database, and no trade licenses have been issued for this establishment," said Mohammad Saiful Islam, executive officer (Zone-2) of Dhaka North.
Saleh Ahmed Jakaria, director (Zone-3) of Rajuk said, "Preliminary information indicates that the chemical warehouse lacked authorisation. A detailed investigation is needed."
The Fire Service also confirmed that the chemical warehouse had no fire safety clearance or licence from their department. "The establishments had neither fire exits nor fire-fighting equipment," said Inspector Arjun Barai from Mirpur zone Fire Service.
Asked how such warehouses are operating without DIFE's permit, a senior DIFE official said, "There are thousands of such establishments and factories in Dhaka. It is practically impossible to monitor all of them."
Brigadier General (retd) Abu Nayeem Md Shahidullah, former director general of Fire Service and Civil Defence, said that the City Corporation, Rajuk, and the fire service cannot avoid responsibility for the fire at the Mirpur chemical warehouse.
Roof door was locked, most deaths from toxic gas: Fire Service
At a briefing, Lt Col Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, director (operation and maintenance) of the Fire Service, said the fire reached the "developed stage" rapidly, leaving victims unconscious.
"The roof door of the factory building, from where the bodies were recovered, was locked with two padlocks. Workers could not escape, and we found the door still locked when we arrived," he said.
He added that neither the garment factory nor the chemical warehouse had fire safety clearance.
Locked roof doors have caused similar tragedies before, including the 2021 Rupganj factory fire that killed 54 workers.
Fire from chemical warehouses is not new
This fire is also a reminder of the 2010 Nimtoli blaze that 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.
Just two weeks ago, in Tongi on the outskirts of the capital, four people, including three Fire Service personnel, were killed in a fire at a chemical warehouse. Even before that, Bangladesh witnessed similar fire incidents.
On 23 March 2024, a fire at a four-storey building in Islambagh, Chawkbazar, starkly exposed the dangers posed by unregulated businesses operating near homes. Goods worth more than Tk1 crore were reportedly gutted in the fire.
While fortunately, there were no casualties and the fire service prevented it from spreading, the incident highlights the vulnerability of the entire Islambagh area.
In 2022, 13 firefighters were killed in a fire at the BM Container Depot under Sitakunda upazila in Chattogram.
Who will answer?
Like in all previous such fire incidents, regulatory authorities are busy trying to distance themselves from the responsibility, leaving the firefighters to douse the fire and rescue the victims.
All of them seemed to have suddenly discovered the chemical warehouse was running without permission, established beyond their knowledge.
None is there to answer why the roof door was locked—a common reason for trapping workers to death in many such disastrous factory fires in the past.
"The agencies are now trying to shrug off responsibilities by saying the warehouse had no approval," Brigadier General (retd) Abu Nayeem Md Shahidullah told TBS. "But such illegal chemical warehouses could not have been established if the responsible authorities had properly carried out their duties."
He added, "Even the instruction to label chemical containers in Bangla is not being followed. Mismanagement and workers' lack of knowledge about chemicals are causing these frequent tragedies."
He urged the authorities to relocate chemical warehouses from densely populated Dhaka to designated areas.
"Although a chemical hub has been established in Shyampur, traders are still not moving there. The reasons must be identified, and the government should make it easier and mandatory for businesses to relocate," he said.
