Fire at Jamela Tower in Keraniganj brought under control after 7 hrs

After a tense seven-hour battle, firefighters have finally brought a massive blaze at Jamela Tower in Babubazar under Keraniganj upazila of Dhaka under control.

Twenty units of the Fire Service and Civil Defence worked tirelessly to douse the fire, which erupted early Saturday morning. Full extinguishing operations are still underway.

Lieutenant Colonel Md. Tajul Islam Chowdhury, Director of Operations & Maintenance at the Fire Service, confirmed the fire was under control by 12:30pm. So far, 45 people have been safely evacuated, including three rescued just today from the building’s upper floors.

The fire broke out around 5:30am in a ground-floor warehouse storing jute, cloth, and thread. The highly flammable stock caused the blaze to spread rapidly, threatening the multi-storey building.

Tenants on the third and fourth floors suffered smoke inhalation but were treated at a nearby clinic and are now in stable condition.

Authorities have not yet revealed the cause of the fire or the total damage.