A fire that broke out at a factory in the Chattogram Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) has remained uncontrolled even after four hours.
Fifteen units of the Fire Service and four units of the Bangladesh Navy are working to extinguish the blaze.
As of 6 pm Thursday, the fire had not yet been brought under control. No casualties have been reported so far.
The fire started around 2 pm at the warehouses of Adams Caps and Textile Limited and Jiehong Medical Company. Adams produces towels and caps, while Jiehong manufactures surgical gowns.
The seven-story building houses both factories, and the fire reportedly originated on the top floor, where their warehouses are located.
At the scene, members of the Fire Service and the Navy were seen battling the flames as thick black smoke spread throughout the area. The fire gradually spread to the sixth and fifth floors.
Onlookers also gathered around the building but were being moved away by army and navy personnel. At one point, a female worker was seen being taken away in a vehicle, reportedly affected by smoke inhalation.
According to CEPZ sources, around 700 workers are employed in the building. However, none were injured, said Abdus Subahan, Executive Director of the Chattogram Export Processing Zone.
“As soon as the fire broke out, all workers were evacuated, so there is no risk of casualties,” Abdus Subahan told Prothom Alo.
Mosammat Shipa, a worker at Jiehong Medical Company, said that the fire started in an area where women are generally not allowed. “I was working on the fifth floor. After lunch, I heard people shouting ‘fire, fire!’ and saw others running down from the upper floors. We all rushed downstairs immediately,” she recounted.
Fahimul Mahmud Bhuiyan, a supervisor at Jiehong Medical Company, said, “I was on the third floor when the emergency alarm went off. Initially, the fire seemed small, but it has since intensified.”
Mohammad Jasim Uddin, Deputy Director of the Fire Service’s Chattogram region, told Prothom Alo that combustible materials inside the factory made it difficult to control the fire.
The factory authorities, however, confirmed that no workers were trapped inside, he added.