2 garment units gutted at Mirpur: Fire at Benarasi Palli: One killed
By Staff Reporter/The New Nation, Bangladesh
A young man was killed and 50 others were injured when two devastating fires broke out at Benarasi Palli at Section No. 11, Mirpur yesterday morning and at a garment factory at Section No. 12, Mirpur Wednesday night.
Both the incidents of fires happened within a span of twelve hours, exposing lack of precautionary measures to cope with fire and usual failure of the fire service department to extinguish the blaze.
Witnesses said a devastating fire broke out at the stranded Pakistanis-run Bihari Camp behind the Mirpur Graveyard at Section No. 11 at around 12:00 noon yesterday leaving one killed and many others injured.
The deceased was identified as Abu Taleb, 22, whose body was later recovered. Abu Taleb hailed from Barisal district. Details of the ill-fated youth could not be known immediately
Earlier, receiving information, fire-fighters rushed to the spot to extinguish the fire. As many as eight fire-fighting units from the Fire Brigade headquarters, Lalbagh fire station, Mohammadpur fire station and Khilgaon fire station went to the spot. However, the fire-fighting work remained suspended for an hour due to lack of water. A huge smoke from the fire spot was seen emitting till yesterday afternoon despite dousing the blaze by fire fighters.
“Due to hot weather and gusty wind the fire spread fast engulfing the area within a short time,” a fire fighter said. Later, they succeeded to douse the inferno at about 1pm.
A fire fighter also sustained injuries while combating the deadly fire.
There were some 800 kutcha and semi-pucca makeshift slums at the Bihari Camp which was also known as Benarasi Palli. Some 200 micro-level Benarasi saree manufacturing factories were situated at this Benarsi Palli, which was completely gutted by the fire, leaving hundreds of slum-dwelling poor people homeless and destroying their livelihood completely.
People living in the Benarasi Palli said they did not know how the fire broke out. However, they did not rule out the possibility of any foul play behind the incident.
Losing all their belongings, the inhabitants of the Benarasi Palli are now living under the open sky. They even do not have minimum financial ability to continue the life afresh.
Another incident of devastating fire broke out at Recent Garment, a joint venture between Bangladesh and Hong Kong at Molla Market, Section No. 12 in Pallabi Wednesday night that left over 25 workers injured.
Earlier on Wednesday night, a devastating fire at Recent Garment at Mollah Market, at 142, Cantonment Road, Alhaj Ramzan Nesa Super Market at Section No. 12 at Mirpur at about 10:30pm on Wednesday.
The extent of the loss at this garment of joint venture with Hong Kong was not known immediately.
However, the garment officials claimed the loss at Tk 10 crore.
Though no one died in the fire, the factory was badly damaged by the fire.
Police, fire fighters and witnesses said, 1400 workers of the garments left the factory at about 8 pm when it was closed. Then at about 10:15pm the fire gripped the 7th floor of the eight-storey building. After this the fire engulfed the 6th floor and the adjacent Pioneer Garments Ltd.
On information the team of Fire Brigade reached the spot and tried to extinguish the fire. As the building was very high, the hydraulic system of fire fighting unit went out of order. It took at least two hours to make it effective.
Meanwhile, the fire engulfed the Pioneer Garments. At about 2 am two more vehicles of fire fighters came to the spot. Twelve units of Fire Brigade were able to bring the fire under control at about 5 am after hectic efforts of seven hours.
According to the factory owner, the equipment for making cloths and T-shirts, which were at 7th floor, were gutted. But the cause of the fire was not known immediately.
Golam Kabir Chowdhury, managing director of Recent Garments Ltd, blamed the fire-fighters for making delay in extinguishing the fire. ‘Goods worth crores of taka could be saved if the fire-fighters showed efficiency,’ he said.
Besides, the BGMEA President Fazlul Huq and other leaders rushed to the spot to see the gutted factory. They said that they would talk to the government about the losses incurred by the factory owner.
Commerce Minister Hafizuddin Ahmed along with the BGMEA leaders visited the affected factory yesterday afternoon.
© Copyright 2003 by The New Nation
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