It was around 9:45am. Workers were going about their usual duties at the factory when suddenly they heard their colleagues shouting. Workers began running in different directions. Within moments, the fire spread. Thick black smoke engulfed the area, plunging everything into darkness. This is how eyewitnesses described the fire at Unit-2 of Drug International Limited in the Cherag Ali area of Tongi, Gazipur.
The fire broke out at Unit-2 of the factory on Wednesday morning. After nearly four hours of efforts by the Fire Service, the army and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), the blaze was brought under control. However, no casualties were reported in the incident.
Worker Ruma Akter was working on the factory's fourth floor. She told Prothom Alo, “I joined work this morning as usual. Suddenly, I saw smoke coming out. Within moments, the smoke spread across our floor. I and the other workers ran downstairs. While coming down, one of our colleagues lost consciousness. She was later rescued and taken outside. She is now well.”
When the fire broke out at the factory, workers started running in different directions. As smoke spread throughout the premises, everything became dark. They began making their way downstairs from wherever they were. This triggered panic among the workers.
Afroza Begum, a worker at the factory, told Prothom Alo, “When the smoke spread, I thought it was my last day. I might not make it out alive. Everything had gone dark. My eyes were burning because of the smoke. Only Allah knows how I managed to get out.”
Muslima Akter, a worker in the tablet section of the factory, described a similar experience. She said, “Two people were working behind me and two in front of me. Suddenly, someone behind us shouted that there was a fire. Then four or five of us got out. After coming out of the factory, I saw the fire raging.”
According to the Fire Service and factory workers, the fire spread rapidly to different parts of the building. The flames and smoke triggered panic in the surrounding areas. Medicines, production equipment and various materials inside the factory were reportedly being damaged by the fire.
After receiving news of the fire, 14 Fire Service units began working at the scene. Four more units later joined them. Eventually, a total of 21 Fire Service units from Gazipur, Tongi, Uttara and nearby areas worked together to bring the fire under control. Army personnel and members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) joined the firefighting efforts around 1pm. At around 2pm, Brigadier General Sultanul Afreen Zunaid, director general of the Fire Service and Civil Defence Department, confirmed that the fire had been brought under control.
Shaheen Alam, senior station officer at Tongi Fire Station, said firefighters from different stations worked together to tackle the blaze, considering its severity. As the factory building was made of steel, aluminium and glass, bringing the fire under control proved difficult. The rapid burning of different parts of the building posed challenges for firefighters.
Cause of fire remains unclear
Medicines, production equipment and other materials inside the factory were reportedly damaged in the fire. However, the extent of the damage could not be determined immediately. The exact cause of the fire also remained unknown. The factory authorities suspect that an electrical short circuit may have triggered the blaze. Fire Service officials, meanwhile, believe chemicals may have caused the fire.
Shahidul Islam, senior administrative officer of Drug International Limited, told Prothom Alo, “Around 200 workers are employed at our factory. Suddenly, workers noticed smoke coming from the fourth floor and started shouting. The emergency alarm was then sounded. All the workers managed to leave the factory quickly and safely. There are no flammable substances in our factory. Our initial assumption is that the fire may have originated from an electrical short circuit.”
Brigadier General Sultanul Afreen Junaid, director general of the Fire Service and Civil Defence Department, said the exact cause of the fire had not yet been established.
He said, “We suspect the fire may have originated from chemicals on the fourth floor of the factory building. It took nearly four hours to bring the fire under control. We are now carrying out the damping-down operation to extinguish the remaining fire inside. This work will continue throughout Thursday. We have asked the authorities to provide the necessary documents. We are also examining whether they had adequate firefighting arrangements.”