Chattogram– A massive fire erupted at a textile factory in the Chattogram Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) on Thursday, completely gutting a nine-storey building, according to fire service officials.
The blaze began around 2:00 pm at Adams Caps & Textiles Ltd., within the CEPZ, an industrial area housing primarily foreign-owned factories. The fire intensified over the following hours and was still raging at 10:30 PM, with the entire structure engulfed in flames.
The intensity of the fire posed a significant risk to several surrounding factories. Due to the extreme heat, the buildings of adjacent facilities became dangerously hot. Firefighters and local authorities worked to cool these buildings down by spraying water on them.
Anwar Hossain, Assistant Director of the Chattogram Fire Service, reported that 23 fire engines were deployed to control the blaze, which had spread from the top floors down to the ground level.
Firefighting units from the Navy and Air Force joined the effort, while Army and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) troops were deployed alongside police to manage large crowds of onlookers.
An official from the adjacent Smart Jacket factory, Shahnewaz, stated, “The heat from the fire is impacting the surrounding factory buildings. Water is being sprayed on our building to cool it down and prevent damage.”
Talha Bin Jashim, a spokesperson for the Fire Service headquarters in Dhaka, confirmed that the fire is believed to have started on the fifth, sixth, and seventh floors of the building.
Firefighters were challenged to contain the blaze, which engulfed the entire structure by evening. The cause of the fire, the extent of the damage, and any potential casualties remain under investigation
