Fire at BSMMU hospital doused

A fire that broke out in a building at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) in Dhaka this evening has been doused after half an hour.

The blaze originated around 6:15pm on the 13th floor of a 17-storey building in Block-D. Five firefighting units doused the fire around 6:45pm, said Ershad Hossain, duty officer of the Fire Service and Civil Defence control room.

Panic spread among the patients as soon as the building caught fire.

Mita Akter, 17, a kidney patient, was receiving treatment on the 15th floor of the building. Her mother took her to the ground floor after hearing the news of a fire. 

"I could not walk well but I climbed down the stairs fearing the fire," Mita told The Daily Star.

Like her, many patients from different wards on different floors, walked to safety after the fire broke out.

Many relatives of patients too swarmed the hospital from nearby areas.

The cause of the fire could not be known immediately.

BSMMU Director (hospital) Brig Gen Dr Nazrul Islam Khan said the fire originated beside a toilet and did not damage any ward.

Some patients left the building in fear but they are now returning to their respective wards, he said.