Staff Reporter :A devastating fire broke out at a blanket factory adjacent to the residence of Inspector General of Police (Prison) inside the Dhaka Central Jail premises in the capital’s Bakshibazar area on Friday afternoon.The reason behind the fire could not be known immediately and the estimated loss in the incident would be more than Tk 22 crore, Fire Services and police sources said. More than two lakh and 21 thousand pieces of blankets were in the store in the factory, sources said. Soon after the fire incident, security in and around the central jail was beefed up. Around threeplatoons of police have been deployed around the jail to thwart any unpleasant incident. Fire Service and Civil Defense’s Control-Room Officer-in-Charge (OC) Enayet Hossain said that the fire might have originated from the electric short-circuit in the one-storied ‘Warming Woolen Mills’ around 4:30pm. At least eight firefighting units from fire service headquarters, Lalbagh and Polashi stations brought the blaze under control at around 6:00pm. The fire official said that Wares Hossain Belal, MP, (Netrakana-5) has been conducting the factory for 20 years by taking lease from the Jail authority.Sources at the central jail said around three to four thousand prisoners from four wards — Meghna, Padma, Medical and Monihar — gathered in an open space inside the jail for safety reason soon after the fire originated. Later, they were sent back to their respective wards after the fire was fully doused.Fire Service and Civil Defense Acting Director General (Operation) Major A K M Shakil Newaz monitored the operational activities, Enayet Hossain said.Wares Hossain Belal, who runs the factory, claimed that the fire cost at least Tk 22 crore loss.Home Secretary Mozammel Haque, IGP (prison) Formal Ali and Additional AIG A K M Shahidul Haq visited the spot soon after the incident. Besides, officers-in-charge of most of the police stations under Lalbagh division also rushed to the spot.
