A fire originating from a gas explosion in an apartment house in the capital’s Banani left three people injured and rendered the entire building unlivable early on Friday.
The front part of the building collapsed in the explosion apparently caused by methane gas leakage. The blast also damaged nearly all the doors, windows and furniture of the 6-storey building.
Windowpanes of four neighbouring buildings were also damaged due to the massive explosion in the wee hours, when most people were sleeping.
Fire fighters rescued 25 people of the building who rushed to the rooftop after the explosion.
The house was declared unlivable after a team of engineers of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Rajdhani Unnyan Katripakkha, Dhaka North City Corporation and police visited the building in the afternoon.
The building was evacuated immediate after the blast, witnesses said.
The tenants accused Titas Gas authorities, which paid lackadaisical attention to the reported gas leakage, caused due to road cutting by Dhaka North City Corporation.
The landlord, Shamsul Alam, told New Age that they had been smelling methane gas since Wednesday from inside the building as DNCC accidentally ruptured a gas pipeline while digging the road. The affected building (house number 9) is located on road 23, bloc B at Banani.
‘We have phoned Titas authorities thrice on Thursday and even two hours before the blast, but they did not take any measure’, he said.
‘They (Titas) said they would repair the leak if the tenants were able to hire workers’, he said.
The tenants said around 1:30am, when some of them were sleeping and others were preparing to sleep, heard a big bang probably coming from the front side of the building.
‘The explosion left all the doors, windows and furniture completely damaged in a moment in all the 20 apartments of the building’, said Mokhlesur Rahman Mitu, who resides on the second floor with a Turkey national.
‘We could not imagine what was going on— earthquake or attack as the building shook up— and we heard people are screaming, crying, and praying’, he said.
Raju Biswas, a police constable posted at a nearby check post, said, ‘We heard a massive explosion in the building and then screams’.
‘As we approached, we saw debris, the dilapidated concretes, window panes and bent grills of the building as flames were gushing out’, he said.
‘Being bewildered, some came out of the building and some ran to the rooftop’, he said.
The power was cut off after the explosion, residents said.
Fifteen units of fire trucks rushed to the spot and doused the flame around 4:15am, said Fire Service director (operation) Shakil Newaz.
They rescued 25 persons from the rooftop and that none was injured critically, he said.
Three injured people were taken to the nearby United Hospital, he said.
The gas connections in the area were also stopped after the explosion.
BUET professor Ishtiaq Ahmed, who visited the building after the explosion, said it seemed gas was accumulated in the building due to the leakage and exploded eventually.
The portion of the building where bathrooms were located was damaged, he said.
The gas might have passed through the sewerage line of the respective apartments, he said.
Titas Gas deputy manager Harunur Rashid visited the spot and admitted that they had received complaint about the gas leakage from the tenants.
He said DNCC’s road cutting caused the leakage, ‘but they did not inform us.’
Senior officials of Titas Gas at a press briefing at its headquarters said they would form a probe committee on Sunday after the two-day weekend.
Dhaka north city mayor Annisul Huq said, ‘Titas’ claim was not true and we will be tough against Titas’.
He claimed that the DNCC made a complaint to Titas on Thursday morning and stopped digging for the rest of the day, but Titas was nonchalant.
Landlord Shamsul Alam said he will sue Titas for the damage.
BUET professor Ishtiaq said a thorough investigation was needed to determine whether the building required demolishing or it could be made livable after renovation.
RAJUK chairman Jainul Abedin said they will provide support to the house owner if he seeks help to examine the condition of the building.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Gulshan zone assistant commissioner Rafiqul Islam said they would secure the building until residents move their valuables.
Mayor Annisul said a combined investigation would be carried out by DNCC, Titas Gas, RAJUK and Fire Service over the explosion. He told residents that he would go for legal action if anyone found responsible.
Three of a family including two minor boys died and another one was injured in another gas explosion in a Uttara building last month.
Source: New Age
