Dhaka fire: Hundreds of firefighters tackle blaze in popular market in Bangladesh

Bangabazar and three commercial areas seriously damaged by fire

Huge fire engulfs clothing market in Bangladesh

Huge fire engulfs clothing market in Bangladesh
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Hundreds of Bangladeshi firefighters were battling a blaze at a popular clothing market in the capital Dhaka on Tuesday, which blanketed the city's oldest neighbourhoods in black smoke.

No deaths have been reported but shop owners and fire officials said Bangabazar and three commercial areas had been almost completely gutted in the fire at dawn. Police said 11 people were injured in the blaze, including five firefighters, but none were in a critical condition.

Tempers flared as the morning wore on, with a group of shop owners hurling rocks at firefighters, angered by the time it was taking to bring the blaze under control.

"We dispersed them," police spokesman Faruq Ahmed said. About 450 officers had been deployed to keep order and stop looting, he added.

Fire services chief Main Uddin said 600 firefighters from across the city brought the blaze under control after more than six hours, while hundreds of spectators watched from a nearby overpass.

"An enthusiastic crowd and a lack of water" along with high winds had made it difficult to combat the fire, he said.

An air force helicopter was used in the firefighting efforts, a military spokesman said.

Mr Uddin said Bangabazar, built mainly from timber and tin to house hundreds of small stalls, was designated a fire risk in 2019 and had been repeatedly issued warning letters since.

Owners said the four markets housed thousands of clothing shops in one of Dhaka's busiest precincts, home to the country's most prestigious university and its national police headquarters.

Bangabazar, built in the 1980s, is a popular destination for cut-price items from western fashion brands including Tommy Hilfiger.

Clothes produced in the city's garment factories but that failed to meet export standards are sold at the market.

Shop owners said the cost of the blaze would be higher because it happened before Eid Al Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan and is the country's biggest religious celebration.

"I borrowed 1.5 million taka ($14,100) to buy Eid clothing. I lost everything," one business owner said.

Building fires and explosions due to leaking gas cylinders, faulty air conditioners and bad electrical wiring are frequent in Bangladesh.

Last month, 23 people were killed in an explosion at a central Dhaka market later blamed on a faulty gas pipe.

A fire and subsequent explosions at a container depot in the port city of Chittagong last year killed more than 50 people.

Updated: April 04, 2023, 11:36 AM