The 14-year-old boy is in the ICU. Outside, his mother prays for him. She says, “Allah, I entrusted my son to Your path and sent him to study Your holy book. You alone, have mercy on him.”
Sonia Akter was seen standing outside the ICU on the fourth floor of the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in the capital on Tuesday afternoon. Her son’s name is Azizul Islam Siam.
Azizul, who was injured in a fire at a madrasa in the Signboard area of Fatullah, Narayanganj, has been brought to Dhaka. His mother told Prothom Alo, “He is my only child. As my firstborn, I wanted to raise him as a Hafiz of the Quran. That is why I enrolled him at Jamia Ashrafia Madrasa, right next to our home. Siam became a Hafiz at just 14. He has devoted himself to reciting Allah’s holy book. Allah, I pray to You: he has been studying Your holy book. Have mercy on him and let my son recover.”
The Fire Service said a fire broke out at Jamia Ashrafia Madrasa at around 1 am early Monday. Students admitted to the hospital said the fire started in the library and office rooms on the second floor of the madrasah's five-storey building. Around 250 students used to stay in the building overnight.
The fire spread through the two rooms, which covered an area of approximately 4,000 square feet. Three units from the Kanchpur Modern Fire Station and two from the Shibu Market Modern Fire Station took part in extinguishing the blaze. Electricity went out immediately after the fire broke out. As the students made their way downstairs using the staircase, they all became ill from inhaling the smoke. Later that night, they were brought to the Burn Institute in Dhaka. They do not know what caused the fire.
Sonia Akter said the madrasa was just a two- to three-minute walk from their home. She was asleep when the fire broke out at night. She woke up after hearing screams and commotion following the outbreak of the fire.
The mother said, “My son has been placed in the ICU. They have put an oxygen mask on him. I went to see him once this morning. Siam's father lives in Saudi Arabia. He returned there on the 4th of last month. He keeps calling to ask about our son. I don't know what to tell him. The doctors are telling me not to worry. But how can a mother stop worrying? Allah, please have mercy on him.”
Sultan Mahmud Sikder, the hospital's resident surgeon, told Prothom Alo that four of the admitted patients were in critical condition. They had been placed in the ICU for close monitoring and treatment. Siam was among them and was receiving mechanical ventilation.
The doctor said a total of 79 students had so far sought medical attention following the fire. However, none of them had any visible burn injuries. Almost all had fallen ill to varying degrees from smoke inhalation, which had affected their respiratory tracts.
He added that 63 injured students had been admitted to the hospital for treatment and observation. The remaining 16 had received the necessary treatment and been discharged. A medical board comprising 10–12 doctors had been formed to oversee their treatment.