Fire rips through Gazipur apparel factory

A devastating fire ripped through a seven-storey building housing a garment factory at Sripur in Gazipur on Sunday forcing people in the surroundings to evacuate.The fire which broke out at around 2:00pm was raging till late into the night with the fire service warning that steel-built structure could come crumbling down.Seventeen fire engines were still struggling to put out the flames till 12:30am on Monday.No casualties were reported as all 3,000 workers of Dignity Textiles Limited at Betjuri were out at lunch hours when the fire broke out, said the factory management.The factory’s manager (administration) Nazmunnahar Kemu told New Age the fire was still raging burning its finished products, raw-materials and equipment.Fire service control room in Dhaka at 12:15am said 17 fire engines from Dhaka, Jaydevpur, and Mymensingh were still working on the spot and were yet to douse the flames.Gazipur Fire Service deputy assistant director Akhteruzzaman Liton said that the fire could not be controlled as the steel-framed structure did not absorb water.Gazipur fire service sources and the factory workers said the fire had originated from its warehouse on the third floor at around 2:00 pm and soon engulfed the entire building.The fire fighters feared that the extreme heat generated by prolonged fire could melt the steel-frame of the building and it could come crumbling down anytime.

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