Chattogram fire: Five of family took shelter in a bathroom, only to be trapped by smoke

The five victims of a fire that broke out in a tin-roofed house in Chattogram city’s Baluar Dighi area all belonged to the same family.

Firefighters and police suspect that in a bid to escape the fire, the victims sought refuge in a bathroom where they suffered smoke inhalation.

The fire broke out around 6:30am on Monday in Sawdagar Colony. Md Iliyas, 54, and his wife Parveen Akter, 45, lost their lives, while their children Sohan, 19, and Shaheena, 22, along with Iliyas’s brother Faisal, suffered injuries.

Four firefighting units arrived at the scene and managed to bring the fire under control by 8am, according to Mokarram Hossain, senior station officer at Chandanpura Fire Station.

The fire, reportedly caused by an electrical short circuit, completely destroyed five rooms and partially damaged another four, resulting in an estimated loss of Tk 1.5 million.

Dr Rafiquddin Ahmed, head of the burn unit at Chattogram Medical College Hospital, said that while the injured did not suffer external burns, they were affected by smoke inhalation, which harmed their respiratory systems.

Witnesses said that thick smoke engulfed the house. As the firemen were leaving the scene after extinguishing the flames, they learnt that five people were trapped inside a bathroom. They immediately rescued the victims.

“The injured were found in a bathroom of a house opposite the one that caught fire. It appears they sought shelter there but fell unconscious due to the smoke,” said Deputy Assistant Director Abdul Mannan of the Chattogram Fire Service Regional Office.

Sub-Inspector Imamur Sajjad of Kotwali Police Station confirmed that five houses were completely burnt, while several others suffered partial damage. “The house where the victims lived was only partially burned. We suspect they ran into the bathroom to escape the fire but were overcome by the smoke,” he added.