Staff Reporter:
Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) Director General (DG) Brig Gen Md Main Uddin said on Friday that there were no fire safety measures at the building where the devastating fire broke out leaving 46 dead and dozens of people burnt on Thursday night on Dhaka’s Bailey Road.
He came up with the remark while talking to reporters in front of the burnt ‘Green Cozy Cottage Shopping Mall’ on Friday afternoon.
The FSCD DG said that there was no fire safety in the building while there was only a small stairwell in the whole building.
He said the FSCD had issued three notices to the building owners previously as part of routine monitoring.
DG Main Uddin also said that one of the rooms where people took shelter during the fire had no windows.
Expressing deep sorrow and shock at the death of several people in the fatal fire accident, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday also said that there was no fire exit in the multi-storied building.
Profile of the seven-storey commercial building
On the first floor of the building there were shops of Gadget & Gear, mobile showroom and tea stall ‘Cha Chumuk’ from where the fire reportedly broke out.
On the second and third floors there was popular restaurant ‘Kacchi Bhai’ and attire showroom ‘Illiyeen’.
On the fourth and fifth floors there were eateries ‘Khanas’, ‘Fuko’ and ‘Pizza Inn’ respectively.
On the sixth and seventh floors, there were ‘Zasdi’, ‘Street Oven’ and ‘Ambrosia’.
On Friday morning a video clip containing the fire shows that the ablaze broke out from one of the shops on the ground floor and spread to others within a short time.
At least 46 people have so far reportedly confirmed dead in the fire accident and dozens of people have been struggling for lives at hospitals’ beds.
