Mall authorities hope to re-open by tomorrow

Although a day had passed since a fire broke out at Bashundhara City shopping complex, firefighters were still carrying out with their work at the multi-storied mall yesterday.

Black marks created from toxic thick smoke were visible from the outside on the walls of at least three floors, although the authorities said only level-6 of the mall was affected by the blaze.

Meanwhile, about 100 shop owners and staff waited throughout the day yesterday in front of the mall to know the fate of their shops.

Fire service officials and the mall authorities were yet to assess the loss caused by the blaze.

Brig Gen Ali Ahmed Khan, director general of Fire Service and Civil Defence, yesterday said they were dampening the floors to determine whether any hidden fire remained inside the mall.

Synthetic and polythene objects were burned significantly inside the shops, which made it difficult for firefighters to determine any hidden blaze, he added.

“Firefighters will officially inform the mall authorities before leaving it,” said Ali Ahmed. He hoped that they would be able to finish their job by night.

The shopping mall authorities said they were hopeful about opening the market by tomorrow.

“We are waiting for the fire service officials to finish their job. Once we take charge, we will determine the actual loss by our own experts,” said Jasim Uddin, head of marketing of the mall.

Firefighters struggled for at least 15 hours to fully douse the fire that broke out at the shopping complex around 11:30am Sunday.

The cause of the blaze still remains unknown. Fire service officials suspect the fire originated from electric short circuit on the ceiling of a shop at Block-C on level-6.

According to fire service officials, as many as 29 fire engines were used in the operation. Eleven people, trapped on the rooftop, were rescued unharmed.

The mega shopping mall, one of the biggest in the country, houses about 2,300 shops in addition to food courts, Cineplex and gymnasiums.

This is the fifth fire incident at the market and the adjacent 20-storey building which is used as Bashundhara's office since 2009, according to shop owners and employees.

Smoke was seen coming out of the mall yesterday afternoon while the mall staff cleaned up accumulated waters from different floors.

Talking to reporters yesterday afternoon, Jasim Uddin said 11 shops were damaged completely while 20 to 22 more shops on level-6 have been affected from the blaze.

The Bashundhara authorities will also form a body with their own expert technicians and fire service officials to find out whether any negligence of duty on the part of their staff was responsible for the inferno, said Jasim.

Fire service authorities formed a five-member body that started work yesterday, DG Ali Ahmed told The Daily Star by phone.

Meanwhile, MA Hannan Azad, president of Bashundhara Shop Owners' Association, claimed that some 100 stores on level-6 were affected due to the blaze.

Alongside goods stored and displayed, interiors of several shops have also been damaged partly or completely, he said, adding that interior of a shop may cost as many as Tk 10 lakh.

Visiting the spot yesterday afternoon, Tawfique Ehsan, president of Dhaka Metropolitan Shop Owners' Association, said they would form a monitoring committee and discuss with the authorities concerned for compensation for the affected shop owners.