Five suffer burn injuries as fire rips through Savar chemical factory

A devastating fire at a chemical factory in Savar's Hemayetpur left five people injured, including four firefighters, after repeated explosions hampered firefighting efforts.

The blaze, which broke out late Saturday night at a paint-mixing chemical factory housed in a six-storey building in Shahidullah Housing near Padma Mor in Hemayetpur, officials said.

After nearly six hours of efforts, firefighters succeeded in bringing the blaze under control around 7:00am on Sunday (July 26).

According to factory authorities, the fire may have originated from an electrical meter, although the exact cause has yet to be confirmed.

Fire Service officials said an investigation is underway.

Police said locals alerted the Fire Service after spotting thick smoke billowing from the building. Two firefighting units rushed to the scene, but frequent explosions inside the chemical warehouse complicated the operation.

The injured include firefighters Md Shamim, Md Uzzal, Md Omar Faruk and team leader Monowar Hossain, along with local resident Mashiur Rahman.

Mashiur, 40, was admitted to Enam Medical College Hospital in Savar with serious injuries. Doctors said he is now out of danger.

Fire Service team leader Monowar Hossain said the rescue operation began shortly after 12:30am and continued uninterrupted until the fire was fully contained at 7:00am.

He added that the presence of highly flammable chemicals triggered multiple explosions during the operation, injuring four firefighters. The injured personnel received primary treatment, while the local resident required hospitalisation.

Authorities said the extent of the damage and the exact cause of the fire will be determined after a formal investigation.