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5 years ago

‘Chemical blast’ behind Chawkbazar fire

Probe body submits report to ministry

Fire Serivice officials along with policemen inspect the site of a deadly blaze at Churihatta in Old Dhaka’s Chawkbazar that resulted in the deaths of at least 71 people — FE/file
Fire Serivice officials along with policemen inspect the site of a deadly blaze at Churihatta in Old Dhaka’s Chawkbazar that resulted in the deaths of at least 71 people — FE/file

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The recent fire at Chawkbazar in Old Dhaka might have occurred due to a chemical explosion on the first floor of Wahed Mansion, according to a probe report of the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE).

The fire later spread quickly due to presence of plastic goods and other flammable items, preserved in the adjacent warehouses, it also said.

The narrow roads at Churihatta created obstacles for the fire service teams to enter the area with their vehicles and necessary equipment.

Besides, mixed occupancy - commercial and residential activities in the same building - has also been identified as a cause of the large-scale casualty in the incident.

The MoLE formed the probe committee on February 22, headed by one of its additional secretaries, after the Chawkbazar fire that killed at least 71 people.

The committee, which was asked to submit its report within 10 days of its formation, submitted the report to the MoLE secretary in-charge on Thursday, a committee member told the FE.

"From the witnesses' explanations and CCTV footage analysis, it appears that the fire might have originated from a chemical explosion on the first floor of Wahed Mansion," the probe report read.

According to the report, the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) inspected a total of 2,959 factories and establishments in Old Dhaka during the period from 2013 to this February.

The DIFE filled cases against a total of 745 factories and establishments, including plastic, printing and aluminium factories, during the inspection period, it showed.

Some 341 cases were filed against plastic factories, 113 against aluminium units, 29 against printing factories, and the remaining 262 against other units.

Chemical warehouses and plastic factories (in Old Dhaka) should be inspected with more care by the DIFE's Dhaka district office, the probe committee observed in the report.

But it could not be done, as majority of the DIFE officials were engaged in inspecting ready-made garment units and doing follow-up activities.

The probe committee was asked to investigate the causes of the Chawkbazar fire, prepare a database of the factories in Old Dhaka, including the number of factories, their nature of work, and raw materials they use, to identify the level of risks involving the plastic and chemical factories there, and recommend ways to mitigate the risks.

It was also asked to look into the DIFE's inspection activities in the area during the last few years, to see whether their post-inspection recommendations were properly implemented, and ascertain the reasons if it was not done.

The owners of chemical factories and warehouses in Old Dhaka were reluctant to comply with the safety-related provisions of the labour law, as jail-term punishment was scrapped in the amended ones, the committee observed.

It also opined that the risk of the Chawkbazar fire might be reduced, if the 17-point recommendations, made after the 2010 Nimtoli fire, were implemented.

The committee made a set of recommendations to the MoLE, suggesting relocation of the chemical factories to a special zone, and creating a regulatory authority to monitor transportation, preservation and marketing of flammable items.

Its recommendations also included incorporating the provision of jail-term in the labour law for ensuring effective implementation legal measures.

The committee further suggested formation of a chemical cell under the DIFE to follow Material Safety Data Sheet to eliminate risks involved in preservation, transportation and use of chemicals.

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