The Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) had designated the shops and establishments in Bangabazar as risky on April 2, 2019.
FSCD Director General Brig Gen Md Main Uddin said, “We had declared this market as dangerous and hung a banner as a warning. We also issued ten notices to the market on different occasions. We did what we could, but business continued there as usual.
After the notices were served, it was the city corporation and Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha's responsibility to take further action.
When asked whether it is because of their negligence that caused today’s situation at Bangabazar, the FSCD director general replied, “I don't have an answer to this question. You [reporters] better ask the organisations you [reporters] mentioned.”
Insiders say that in 2018, the fire service held a meeting with members of the Bangabazar Business Association regarding the safety of this market. At that time, they were given various suggestions on what to do about the issue.
A fire broke out in Dhaka's Bangabazar Market in the early hours of Tuesday, and it raged on for more than six hours. Forty-eight firefighting units brought the fire under control at 12:36pm.
