Fire again at Bashundhara City mall

Fire breaks out again in block-C of Bashundhara City shopping complex in Dhaka’s Panthapath area at around 10:00pm after firefighters announced it under control.

Another two units of firefighting reached at the spot around 11:00pm to douse the fire, reports our correspondent from the spot.

Earlier, in the morning, the fire broke out for the first time at the shopping complex.

- Fire breaks out on level 6

- 29 firefighting units partially douse flames

- 11 rescued from rooftop

- 2 injued

- Reason unknown

- Mayor vows to investigate

Firefighters have brought the blaze that broke out at Bashundhara City shopping complex in Dhaka’s Panthapath area this morning under control after over 10 hours of their frantic efforts.

The fire has so far been controlled and firefighters are spraying waters to put out the blaze, said Major AKM Shakil Newaz, director (operation and maintenance) of Fire Service and Civil Defence.

Twenty-nine units of firefighters worked hard to bring the situation under control around 8:30pm.

The fire broke out around 10:40am from a luggage shop on C-block, Level-6, of the mall, witnesses said.

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At least seven shops at C Block of Level 6 were completely burnt, Jashim Uddin, head of marketing of the shopping mall, told The Daily Star, adding total losses can be ascertained later on.

11 rescued

Eleven people, who were stranded on the rooftop of the shopping complex due to fire, have been rescued safely, Jashim Uddin, head of marketing of the shopping mall, told The Daily Star at 4:30pm.

“All of them are our own staff and they got trapped on the rooftop when they tried to douse the flame initially,” he said.

No one has been reported injured until this report was filed at 4:00pm.

2 admitted at Dhaka hospital

Two of the rescued, who were stranded on the rooftop, were admitted at city’s MH Somorita Medical College Hospital.

They were identified as the shopping mall’s fireman Shafiqur Rahman, 30, and AC mechanic Mamunur Rahman, 40, reports our correspondent.

Both inhaled smokes when they were trying to douse the fire initially this morning.

Reason still unknown

Authorities of the shopping complex and the businessmen are yet to ascertain the reason behind the blaze.

Asked whether it was “sabotage” or not, MA Hannan Azad, president of owners association at the shopping mall, told reporters that he did not know the exact reason.

“But the matter of sabotage cannot be ruled out without probe,” he said.

Fire service officials are also yet to find out the reason behind the fire.

Earlier, Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Anisul Haque, who visited the spot around 1:00pm, said, “We will investigate why the building catches fire repeatedly.”  

On March 13, 2009, seven people were killed and 20 others were injured in a fire that broke out in Bashundhara City shopping complex. Six top floors of the shopping mall were gutted.