Fire at Tongi pharmaceutical factory under control, 10 Injured

The fire that broke out at the factory of Drug International Company Limited in the Cheragali area of Tongi, Gazipur, has been brought under control. It was controlled at around 1:35 p.m. on Wednesday (October 14). Along with 21 Fire Service units, the army, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), police and Gazipur City Corporation took part in the firefighting.

Brig. Gen. Sultanul Afrin Junaid, director general of the Fire Service, announced that the fire was under control at a press conference held at the scene at 2:10 p.m. on Wednesday (October 14). He said firefighting began quickly after the prime minister gave directions, and that the fire was brought under control around noon through the combined efforts of Fire Service personnel.

The director general said the fire spread to the second and fourth floors of the factory’s seven-story building. Because emergency medicines, including injectables, were stored there, breathing problems arose during the fire. A Fire Service member who took part in the firefighting also suffered breathing difficulties, and arrangements have been made for his treatment.

The fire started at around 10 a.m. on Wednesday in the building of the factory’s Unit-2. Factory workers first tried to control it using the factory’s own arrangements, but as the fire intensified, the situation went beyond their control. Fire Service units from Tongi, Gazipur, Savar, Ashulia and Dhaka then reached the scene and began work after being alerted.

Besides the Fire Service, members of the army, BGB, police and Gazipur City Corporation helped fight the fire. The fire disrupted traffic and normal life within about two kilometers of the factory. Efforts to restore normalcy began after the fire was brought under control.

Shafiqul Islam Badal, manager of Drug International, said the factory had tried to put out the fire with its own arrangements. But because the fire was so intense, the factory had to seek help from the Fire Service and other agencies.

According to the Fire Service director general, no major casualties have been reported in the incident, though one Fire Service member has suffered breathing difficulties. Details on the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage could not be immediately obtained.