DHAKA FIRE TOLL REACHES 81; FIREMEN EXPECT NUMBER TO RISE
DHAKA— A devastating fire raced through densely packed buildings in a centuries-old district in Bangladesh’s capital, killing at least 81 people, officials and witnesses said.
The fire in Dhaka’s Chawkbazar area was mostly under control after more than 10 hours of frantic firefighting efforts. About 50 people were injured, some critically burned.
Mughal era district
The district, dating to the Mughal era 400 years ago, is crammed with buildings separated by narrow alleys, with residences commonly above shops, restaurants or warehouses on the ground floors.
Denizens of the Muslim-majority nation throng to Chawkbazar each year for traditional goods to celebrate iftar, when the daily fast is broken during Ramadan.
Outside the gutted building, the road was strewn with charred vehicles, pieces of still-burning metal and plastics, and hundreds of cans of body deodorant.
The blaze started late Wednesday night in one building and quickly spread to others, fire department Director General Ali Ahmed said.
Many of the victims were trapped inside the buildings, said Mahfuz Riben, a control room official for the Fire Service and Civil Defense in Dhaka.
“Our teams are working there but many of the recovered bodies are beyond recognition. Our people are using body bags to send them to the hospital morgue, this is a very difficult situation,” he said.
Another control room official, Russel Shikder, said 81 bodies had been recovered.
Delayed by traffic
First responders were delayed in reaching the site in part because nearby roads were closed for national holiday commemorations on Thursday.
Fire officials said the road closures worsened traffic, slowing down some of the fire trucks rushing to the site.
Most buildings in Chawkbazar are used both for residential and commercial purposes despite warnings of the potential for high fatalities from fires after one killed at least 123 people in 2010.
Authorities had promised to bring the buildings under regulations.