Uttara residential building fire death toll rises to 6

The death toll from a fire that broke out at a residential building in Uttara has risen to six, police said on Friday.

Uttara West Police Station Officer-in-Charge Rafiqul Ahmed confirmed that six people have died so far in the incident at a building in Sector 11. At least 10 others were rescued with injuries and are currently receiving treatment at different hospitals. Authorities warned that the number of fatalities could increase.

The identities of three of the victims have been confirmed. They are Kazi Fazle Rabbi, 38, his wife Afroza Akter Suborna, 37, and their two-year-old son Kazi Faiyaz Rishan.

Family members said Fazle Rabbi hailed from Cumilla Sadar and was employed at SKF Pharmaceuticals, while his wife worked as a senior executive at Square Pharmaceuticals. The couple’s two children usually lived at their maternal grandmother’s residence in Uttara. With offices closed on Friday, the younger child had been brought to the apartment on Thursday night. Relatives learned of the deaths after rushing to hospitals upon receiving news of the fire in the morning.

Fire Service officials said the blaze broke out around 7:50am on the second floor of a building on Road 18 in Uttara’s Sector 11. Firefighters reached the scene within four minutes and began efforts to contain the fire.

The fire was brought under control by 8:25am and fully extinguished by around 10:00am. The cause of the fire is being investigated.