Bailey Road fire: A pleasant family outing turns into a nightmare

On the eve of the weekend, Poppy Rani Roy, 30, decided to treat her children to a visit at the Ekushey Book Fair. On their way back, they stopped for a meal at a popular biriyani restaurant 'Kacchi Bhai' on Bailey Road.

Poppy could never have imagined that dinner would be their last together.

What was meant to be a pleasant family outing turned into a nightmare when a fierce fire ripped through the six-storey Green Cozy Cottage building.

As the flames roared, Poppy instinctively wrapped her arms around 12-year-old daughter Adrija and son six-year-old Turjo amid the suffocating smoke. But none of them survived.

The trio were taken to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital after the fire broke out. Her brother Rinku Roy collected their bodies on Friday.

Bailey Road, once the centre of drama and theatre in Dhaka has now turned into a ‘gastronomic hub’ and bustles with people most of the time. Thursday, being the last working day, drew large crowds to the area.

Recounting the moment he learnt of the blaze, witness Sohel Akbar said he was heading to the restaurant around 9:45 pm and noted that Kacchi Bhai was especially crowded as it was offering a special 50 percent discount.

The fire reportedly started in a coffee house adjacent to a Samsung showroom, according to RAB-3 ASP Kamrul Hasan. It quickly spread, engulfing the building which also housed an outlet of retailer Illiyeen, and several other food shops.

Fire Service and Civil Defence Director General Brig Gen Moin Uddin suggested the blaze could have originated from a gas leak or an issue with a stove, noting that gas cylinders were present on each floor of the building.

As the fire spread, people from each floor of the building scrambled to escape the flames, seeking refuge on higher levels before ultimately converging on the rooftop.

As Poppy and her children were enjoying their meal on the third floor, a fire suddenly engulfed the building, said Rinku. They scrambled out of the restaurant and initially found refuge on the fifth floor. However, the family eventually succumbed to the smoke as the oxygen level plummeted.

“I was told Poppy clung to her children in those final moments, but sadly, they didn't make it out alive,” said Rinku.

The devastating news reached the family through television reports, prompting them to rush to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, only to confirm their worst fears.

"Now, we're taking the bodies to our ancestral home in Doyaganj Jelepara. We will then cremate them at Postogola crematorium," said Rinku.

He revealed that Poppy's husband is a businessman, now left to mourn the loss of his entire family. “It's a loss beyond words. We can only hope that no one else has to endure such a horrific ordeal.”