Saturday, 25 October, 2025
A fire broke out on the sixth floor of a six-storey building housing a garment factory at Bibah Bari Community Centre on Kalshi Road in Mirpur-12 on Friday night, adding to a series of recent fire incidents across the capital.
According to the Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD), the blaze was reported at 10:12pm, and the first unit reached the scene at 10:27pm.
“Four units are currently working to bring the flames under control, while two more are on the way,” said Talha Bin Zashim, duty officer at the FSCD media cell.
The cause of the fire and any possible casualties were yet to be confirmed at the time of reporting.
The fresh blaze at Mirpur’s Bibah Bari Community Centre once again exposes the alarming state of fire safety in Dhaka. Within just a week, the capital has witnessed multiple infernos — from the deadly Rupnagar factory fire that killed at least 16 people to the massive blaze at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport that disrupted flight operations. Each incident underscores a pattern of negligence, weak regulation, and poor enforcement of safety standards.
Friday night’s fire follows a tragic blaze in Rupnagar just a week earlier, which claimed at least 16 lives. That incident originated in a chemical warehouse adjacent to a four-storey garment factory located in a densely populated residential zone. The victims’ bodies—burnt beyond recognition—are being handed over to families after DNA identification, according to officials.
The Rupnagar fire began around 11:40am on Tuesday, engulfing a chemical storage facility belonging to Cosmic Pharma and the adjoining garment factory in Shialbari. Thick black smoke spread across the neighbourhood, forcing hundreds of residents to flee in panic. Firefighters deployed eight units in total to combat the inferno, which took hours to subdue amid fears of further explosions from stored chemicals.
In another major incident last Saturday, a massive blaze erupted at the cargo section of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, halting all flight and landing operations for several hours.
At least 36 firefighting units, supported by the army, air force, navy, and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), battled the flames that sent plumes of dense smoke billowing across the airport area.
The succession of fires in industrial and commercial facilities has once again raised urgent questions about fire safety, building compliance, and enforcement in Dhaka’s rapidly expanding urban landscape.
Despite countless promises and inquiries, little has changed. Factories continue to operate in mixed-use buildings, chemical warehouses remain embedded in residential areas, and emergency exits are often blocked or absent. The recurring fires are not isolated accidents but symptoms of a systemic failure where profit and political connections outweigh public safety.
Until authorities ensure strict compliance with fire codes, relocate hazardous industries, and hold violators accountable, Dhaka’s residents will continue to live under the constant threat of preventable tragedy.
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A fire broke out on the sixth floor of a six-storey building housing a garment factory at Bibah Bari Community Centre on Kalshi Road in Mirpur-12 on Friday night, adding to a series of recent fire incidents across the capital.
According to the Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD), the blaze was reported at 10:12pm, and the first unit reached the scene at 10:27pm.
“Four units are currently working to bring the flames under control, while two more are on the way,” said Talha Bin Zashim, duty officer at the FSCD media cell.
The cause of the fire and any possible casualties were yet to be confirmed at the time of reporting.
The fresh blaze at Mirpur’s Bibah Bari Community Centre once again exposes the alarming state of fire safety in Dhaka. Within just a week, the capital has witnessed multiple infernos — from the deadly Rupnagar factory fire that killed at least 16 people to the massive blaze at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport that disrupted flight operations. Each incident underscores a pattern of negligence, weak regulation, and poor enforcement of safety standards.
Friday night’s fire follows a tragic blaze in Rupnagar just a week earlier, which claimed at least 16 lives. That incident originated in a chemical warehouse adjacent to a four-storey garment factory located in a densely populated residential zone. The victims’ bodies—burnt beyond recognition—are being handed over to families after DNA identification, according to officials.
The Rupnagar fire began around 11:40am on Tuesday, engulfing a chemical storage facility belonging to Cosmic Pharma and the adjoining garment factory in Shialbari. Thick black smoke spread across the neighbourhood, forcing hundreds of residents to flee in panic. Firefighters deployed eight units in total to combat the inferno, which took hours to subdue amid fears of further explosions from stored chemicals.
In another major incident last Saturday, a massive blaze erupted at the cargo section of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, halting all flight and landing operations for several hours.
At least 36 firefighting units, supported by the army, air force, navy, and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), battled the flames that sent plumes of dense smoke billowing across the airport area.
The succession of fires in industrial and commercial facilities has once again raised urgent questions about fire safety, building compliance, and enforcement in Dhaka’s rapidly expanding urban landscape.
Despite countless promises and inquiries, little has changed. Factories continue to operate in mixed-use buildings, chemical warehouses remain embedded in residential areas, and emergency exits are often blocked or absent. The recurring fires are not isolated accidents but symptoms of a systemic failure where profit and political connections outweigh public safety.
Until authorities ensure strict compliance with fire codes, relocate hazardous industries, and hold violators accountable, Dhaka’s residents will continue to live under the constant threat of preventable tragedy.
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