Eskaton Fire: Charred remains of a family’s hopes and dreams

Thirty-eight-year-old Jannatul Ferdous dreamed of becoming a successful entrepreneur.

She  was resolutely working her way towards the goal. Along with her job as  an accountant of a pharmaceutical company, she had started an online clothing  business.

"She named her business "Rushdi's Closet"  after her son AKM Rushdi," Sheikh Reshma, Jannat's sister-in-law told  The Daily Star yesterday.

Although  her career was in line with her dreams, Jannat was exhausted from  having to work double duty all day. She was desperately looking for some  free time to spend with her family. It showed on her Facebook. She last  posted - "How far is Friday?".

But all of this is a memory  now. One of the victims of the fire that broke out at Eskaton's Dilu Road last  Thursday, Jannat lost the battle with her injuries while undergoing  treatment at the Incentive Care Unit (ICU) of Sheikh Hasina National  Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute.

With 95 percent inhalation burn, she was put on life support from Thursday noon. She later died around 9:30am yesterday, said Dr Samanta Lal Sen, coordinator of the institute.

Not only Jannat, the fire also killed her beloved Rushdi, who died in tragic circumstances. With 45 percent burns, her husband Shahidul Kirmany Rony is undergoing treatment at the same facility.

After the fire broke out in the five-storey building around 4am, the family woke up from sleep and tried to escape. With Rushdi in his arms, Rony tried to lead the family out of the building using the stairwell.

However, unable to see in the dark, Rony lost his footing and tumbled down the stairs, with Rushdi  falling out of his arms, said Nasrin Akter, Rony's sister. This is the last thing Rony said before being put on life support, she added.

Seeing Rushdi fall into the fire, Jannat jumped in to try and save her son, but failed to do so. Rony wasn't going to abandon them. Already under duress, he tried crawling back up the stairs but lost consciousness due to the smog, Nasrin said.

Moments before she was put on life support, Jannat repeatedly asked for her baby and husband, in whispers, the only sound she could muster.

"We  did not let her know that Rushdi had already died. We thought  that she might come back with the strength and belief that her family is alive," said a heartbroken Reshma.

Alongside Jannat and Rushdi, Abdul Kader Liton (40) and Afrin Jahan Juthi (17), a student of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College, also died in the fire.

Family members have completed the burial of Jannat and Rushdi in Narsingdi, said Reshma. They were buried in adjacent graves, befitting of their love.