Death toll rises to two in Gulshan fire incident

The death toll from Sunday’s fire at an apartment building in Gulshan-2 increased to two, as another victim died on Monday morning.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner (Gulshan division) Abdul Ahad said the deceased was identified as Mohammad Raju, 35.

Raju worked as a cook at an apartment on the 12th floor of the building. After the building caught fire, he jumped off of it and was injured in the fall. He died at the ZH Sikder Women’s Medical College & Hospital, Abdul Ahad said.

“22 people – nine men, 12 women, and one child – were rescued,” he said, adding that no case has been filed in the incident so far.

The fire broke out on a building’s 7th floor on Sunday around 7pm in Dhaka’s Gulshan-2. Later, with the help of the army and air force, 19 units of the fire service managed to bring the fire under control around 11pm.

A man named Anwar Hossain died after jumping from the building to save himself from the fire on Sunday night.

25-member medical board formed

Fire Service and Civil Defences (FSCD) Director General (DG) Brigadier General Md Main Uddin said three people have been admitted to Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.

They are Shama Rahman Sinha, 37, wife of BCB’s director Fahim Sinha, and two cooks who worked at her home - Musa Sikder, 30, and Roshan Ali, 30.

National Chief Coordinator of plastic surgery and burn projects in Bangladesh Dr Samanta Lal Sen said, “We cannot say that Shama’s condition is good because her trachea has been burnt.”

Meanwhile, Musa and Roshan are out of danger. They are expected to be released from the hospital in a day or two, he said.

“A 25-member medical board has been formed in this incident to treat the patient. I am also on this board. Dhaka Medical College (DMH) Hospital neurosurgery, orthopaedic, general surgery and thoracic surgery doctors are also on the board,” he added.

Electrical short circuit might be to blame

After visiting the location of the fire on Monday afternoon, DC Abdul Ahad told reporters, “We initially heard from the FSCD that the fire started in the building due to an electrical short circuit.

“The concerned authorities will check whether the construction of the building and fire-fighting system was proper or not.”

Fire service forms investigation committee

The FSCD has formed a five-member investigation committee on the incident, said FSCD DG Main Uddin, adding that Director (Operation and Maintenance) Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury is the head of the committee.

Other members are the deputy director (Operation & Maintenance), assistant director of Dhaka, Gulshan Zone’s deputy assistant director, and officer-in-charge of the local fire station. They have already started the investigation.

Emergency exit could have prevented deaths

An emergency exit at the residential building in Gulshan that went ablaze on Sunday night could have helped prevent the deaths from the fire, said Md Mijanur Rahman, director general of the Department of Disaster Management (DDM).