Fire at CEPZ footwear factory

Firefighters try to douse the fire that raged through two-storey footwear factory "Pappela Shoe Ltd" in Chittagong Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) area Sunday morning. Photo: Anurup Kanti Das

A devastating fire raged through a footwear manufacturing factory in Chittagong Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) area Sunday morning, gutting almost the entire unit.

No body sustained injuries in the blaze that originated around 3:00am at the two-storey building of "Pappela Shoe Ltd".

The fire which started from the chemical stuffed on the ground floor of the factory was brought under control around 8:00am, after a hectic effort of five hours, said Ruhul Amin, deputy director of Agrabad Fire Service and Civil Defence.

The security guards of the factory found that black smoke billowing out of the building immediately after the fire broke out there and informed it to the factory authorities and firefighters.

Eighteen units of firefighters from Agrabad, Bandar and CEPZ fire stations rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control, the deputy director of Agrabad fire station added.

Around 1,50,000 pairs of shoe which were stored on the first floor were gutted in the fire, Mukhlesur Rahman, production manager of the factory.

The fire might have originated from electric short circuit and it spread instantly as a huge amount of chemical was stored there, the fireman added.