Three killed in Islambagh fire

Three members of a family were burnt to death as a fire broke out in a plastic-sandal factory-cum-residential house and spread to surrounding areas at Chairmanbari Beribandh in Islambagh area on the bank of Buriganga river in old Dhaka Saturday afternoon.
The victims were identified as Shamim Hossain, 35, Sima Begum, 27, and Saleha Begum, 38.
Fire service control room said that the fire broke out at about 4:25pm and 12 fire fighting units doused the fire after one hour and a half.
It said that the cause of the fire could not be established immediately.
Witnesses said that the fire broke out in a four-storied building that housed a plastic sandal factory, plastic and paper shops and also residences and spread to adjacent building within few minutes.
They said that three two-storied and two two-storied corrugated iron sheet-roofed buildings caught fire.
Fire fighters as well as local people rushed the spot and began to douse the flames.
As the fire fighters began dumping operation, they brought out the three bodies, they said.
They said that the front side cable of electricity line was burnt and the area went in dark as the area witnessed power outage.
The local people and fire fighters suspected that the fire spread rapidly as the four-storied building had highly flammable chemicals and plastic goods.
In another incident, At least eight people were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital as they were burnt and injured by explosion of the cylinder of a CNG-run vehicle near Lalbagh crossing in Dhaka Saturday afternoon.
The victims are rickshaw pullers Abul Bashar, 40, and Sunam Uddin, 50, sweetmeat shop workers Maruf, 20, and Sabuj, 20, Dhanmondi Model College BBA student Farhana Akhter Panna, 22, Makbul, 35, Sabbir, 20, Faisal, 30, according to emergency department records at the hospital.
The burn and plastic surgery unit’s resident medical officer Partha Shankar Paul said the condition of Abul Bashar was critical.
He said that the others sustained injuries from parts of the exploded cylinder and burns.
The in0charge of the police outpost at the hospital Bachchu Mia, quoting the victims, said that they were burnt and injured by exploding a gas cylinder outside a sweetmeat shop at about 4:45pm.
He said that most of the victims were passers-by.
Chawak Bazar police station duty officer assistant sub-inspector Mohibul Islam said that eight injured people were admitted to the hospital but it was not clear whether any of the victims were passengers or driver of the vehicle.
Source: New Age