Gazipur factory fire contained, one dead

A worker was killed in a massive fire that engulfed a chemical factory in Gazipur’s Sreepur Upazila on Thursday afternoon, reports UNB.

The district administration formed a five-member investigation committee headed by the additional district magistrate. It has been ordered to submit findings within the next seven working days, said deputy commissioner SM Tarikul Islam.

Factory worker Alamgir Hossain, 30, was found dead on the ground floor of the factory. He was a worker of the factory, Sreepur Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge Khondokar Imam Hossain said.

The fire was contained around 8:00pm, nearly three and a half hours after it had broken out. Seven firefighting units worked to contain the blaze at Tepirbari village under Telihati union.

The cause of the fire and the extent of damage could not be known yet.

A loud explosion and a huge column of smoke belching out of the factory triggered panic among the locals.

Sreepur Fire Service and Civil Defence’s station officer Mia Raja said two of their units initially went to the scene. Later, more firefighting units from Mymensingh and Joydebpur joined them.

Various sources claimed that at least 15 people have been injured in the blast and fire.