Five killed in Ctg building fire
Four of a family and a domestic help suffocated to death early yesterday after a fire broke out in a building in Chittagong's Chandgaon area.
The fire originated from an electric short circuit at a department store on the ground floor of the four-storey building at about 2:45am, said fire fighters.
Plumes of smoke engulfed the entire building after a CNG-run microbus caught fire inside the building's garage next to Bhai Bhai Department Store.
The victims are Jaber Mohammad Iqbal, 32, executive officer at Standard Bank's Chowdhuryhat brach, Iqbal's wife Tamanna Siddique, 25, his brother Modasser Iqbal, 20, nephew Shaon, 8, and domestic help Rumi, 28. They are from Kolaujan village in Chittagong.
The cause of their death was inhalation of thick smoke that spread fast to the top floor, said Jasim Uddin, deputy assistant director of Fire Service and Civil Defence (Chittagong Division).
Iqbal had been living on the top floor of the building “Masum Kutir” with his wife and two younger brothers. His brother Afran Iqbal, 11, and nephew Shaon came to visit them after school examinations.
Iqbal's brothers Afran and Jubaer Iqbal, 28, escaped the fire as they climbed down the building from the balcony using a piece of a cloth.
On information, five fire-fighting units rushed to the spot and put out the blaze after a two-hour effort.
Jasim said the thick smoke got trapped inside the building as the main gate on the ground floor and the door to the roof were closed.
Smoke might have spread to the top floor after Shaon, whose body was found on the staircase, opened the apartment door to escape, Jasim said.
The bodies were sent to Chittagong Medical College Hospital where grieving relatives of the victims gathered in the morning.
Hearing the news, Tamanna's father Abdul Hannan Siddique rushed to the hospital from his village in Satkania upazila.
“My daughter was expecting a child next month but everything is finished now,” said Hannan with tears rolling down his cheeks.
Tamanna, student of Economics at Haji Md Mohsin College, and Iqbal got married only ten months back, said Hannan.
He said Tamanna was ill and could not sit for a test on January 10 before master's final year exams.
Her classmate Tanjina Nasrin, who went to the CMCH morgue, said Tamanna was a bit sad for failing to take the test. But she was very happy that she would be a mother soon.
TEENAGER HELPS SAVE LIVES
College student Fahim, a tenant on the building's first floor, helped as many as 17 people escape the fire.
He woke up to the noise of an explosion at about 3:00am and ran to the kitchen to find out what happened. He saw a blaze flaring up the department store on the ground floor.
Fahim then opened the apartment door to get out but found the staircase filled with thick smoke. He shut the door.
He woke up his family members and rushed to the balcony on the building's front side. He called out the house owner on the second floor.
“All nine members of my family climbed down through the adjoining tin-roof of another department store beside the garage. Six family members of the house owner came down to our balcony using a piece of cloth and then got down to the street,” he said.
“At that moment, we saw Iqbal's two brothers crying for help at their balcony. We told them to climb down using a piece of cloth.”
Iqbal's younger brothers Jubaer, and Afran managed to climb down from third floor with their help, said Fahim.
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