Kazi Zahidul Hasan :
Air of Chawkbazar became toxic with flammable gases days before the devastating fire at the Old Dhaka late Wednesday, leaving 67 people dead on the spot and injuring many others, locals said.
“We were getting smell of chemical from the air three days before the inferno. The air was so thick and suffocating,” Rakib Hossain (not real name), a resident of Chawkbazar told The New Nation.
“It was perfume like smell. But the air is now free from any odor,” he added.
Chawkbazar inferno, the second deadliest chemical-fuelled fire in the country after the 2010 Nimtoli incident, also tore many shops, restaurants and vehicles. But there was still no firm answer on what cased the fire.
However, the latest incident was a jolting reminder that chemical companies at the Old Dhaka have been running with the risk of deadly fires and blasts, often caused by lax monitoring. Analyzing the Chawkbazar inferno, Director of Operations and Maintenance of Fire Service and Civil Defence Maj AKM Shakil Newaz said, “The intensity of fire suggests that the air was contaminated with toxic chemicals. The fire may be originated from the chemical warehouse of Wahed Mansion. But when it came into contact with airborne combustible materials, it caused secondary explosion igniting the size and severity of the primary fire and causing immense damage and fatalities.
He said, the traffic was so clogged when the fire broke out at Chawkbazar and there were hazardous chemical godowns and factories of aromatic products, electricity transformers, electro-mechanical workshops and restaurants surrounding the area. Besides, motorcars driven by fuel oils and gas were also parked there escalating the disaster as the ‘domino effect.’
“Toxic chemicals released in the air leads to a high degree of temperature just minutes after a fire breaks out causing extensive damage to the property and death of large numbers of people.”
Maj AKM Shakil Newaz further said much larger areas could be dangerously affected if fire engulf to chemical warehouse set up at the basement of Wahed Mansion, from where the fire is believed to be originated.
He said, “It may be lead to a massive explosion and thereby blow up a major part of Chawkbazar.”
Local traders, earlier claimed that one of the motorized vehicles lined up in front of Wahed Mansion had exploded, setting of a chain reaction to others and sparking fire to the Wahed Mansion and nearby establishments.
But CCTV grabs show that the first explosion took place at Haji Wahed Mansion that lead to Wednesday’s devastating fire at Chawkbazar.
Repeated explosions occurred within the next few minutes from the building, show the CCTV footage, contradicting the claims of the locals the fire originated due to explosions of a cylinder of a car or a pick-up van.
“An investigation into the cause of the accident is still proceeding urgently and it was too early to draw the firm conclusion,” said Maj AKM Shakil Newaz.
Air of Chawkbazar became toxic with flammable gases days before the devastating fire at the Old Dhaka late Wednesday, leaving 67 people dead on the spot and injuring many others, locals said.
“We were getting smell of chemical from the air three days before the inferno. The air was so thick and suffocating,” Rakib Hossain (not real name), a resident of Chawkbazar told The New Nation.
“It was perfume like smell. But the air is now free from any odor,” he added.
Chawkbazar inferno, the second deadliest chemical-fuelled fire in the country after the 2010 Nimtoli incident, also tore many shops, restaurants and vehicles. But there was still no firm answer on what cased the fire.
However, the latest incident was a jolting reminder that chemical companies at the Old Dhaka have been running with the risk of deadly fires and blasts, often caused by lax monitoring. Analyzing the Chawkbazar inferno, Director of Operations and Maintenance of Fire Service and Civil Defence Maj AKM Shakil Newaz said, “The intensity of fire suggests that the air was contaminated with toxic chemicals. The fire may be originated from the chemical warehouse of Wahed Mansion. But when it came into contact with airborne combustible materials, it caused secondary explosion igniting the size and severity of the primary fire and causing immense damage and fatalities.
He said, the traffic was so clogged when the fire broke out at Chawkbazar and there were hazardous chemical godowns and factories of aromatic products, electricity transformers, electro-mechanical workshops and restaurants surrounding the area. Besides, motorcars driven by fuel oils and gas were also parked there escalating the disaster as the ‘domino effect.’
“Toxic chemicals released in the air leads to a high degree of temperature just minutes after a fire breaks out causing extensive damage to the property and death of large numbers of people.”
Maj AKM Shakil Newaz further said much larger areas could be dangerously affected if fire engulf to chemical warehouse set up at the basement of Wahed Mansion, from where the fire is believed to be originated.
He said, “It may be lead to a massive explosion and thereby blow up a major part of Chawkbazar.”
Local traders, earlier claimed that one of the motorized vehicles lined up in front of Wahed Mansion had exploded, setting of a chain reaction to others and sparking fire to the Wahed Mansion and nearby establishments.
But CCTV grabs show that the first explosion took place at Haji Wahed Mansion that lead to Wednesday’s devastating fire at Chawkbazar.
Repeated explosions occurred within the next few minutes from the building, show the CCTV footage, contradicting the claims of the locals the fire originated due to explosions of a cylinder of a car or a pick-up van.
“An investigation into the cause of the accident is still proceeding urgently and it was too early to draw the firm conclusion,” said Maj AKM Shakil Newaz.
