Fire Service and Civil Defence officials said that they could not enter the chemical warehouse at Shialbari of Rupanagar in the capital鈥檚 Mirpur area until Wednesday evening for conducting search operation as the fire could not be doused even after 30 hours.
The fire occurred in the warehouse and its adjacent garments factory at about 11:30am on Tuesday and left at least 16 people dead.
Fire service officials said that the fire caused structural damage to the warehouse, and it was now hazardous in nature due to the presence of chemicals inside it.
The police said that a case was filed over the deaths of 16 people in the fire.
Rupnagar police station officer-in-charge Mokhlesur Rahman said that a case was filed over the incident on Wednesday.
He, however, did not disclose any further information.
Besides, the Criminal Investigation Department of the police on Wednesday collected DNA samples from six bodies, out of 16, charred in the fire.
Addressing reporters at the scene Wednesday afternoon, Fire Service and Civil Defence director for operation and maintenance, Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury said that the fire at the warehouse and the factory was brought under control in two phases.
鈥楾he fire at the garment section, later identified as Anwar Garments, was contained聽 first. The blaze in the adjacent chemical warehouse, Alam Traders, was brought under control at about 2:20pm on Wednesday,鈥� he said.
Many of the columns and pillars of the warehouse have cracked, he said, adding that it was a structurally risky building, and any sudden collapse could cause another accident.
鈥楩or this reason, we are taking protective measures before continuing the search operation. It may take another 36 to 72 hours to complete,鈥� he said.
The firefighters were working with advanced technology, draining out the chemicals with water in a controlled manner, he said.
He said that it was time-consuming but necessary for safety.
The fire official said that they were using advanced technology to prevent a repeat of incidents like the one in Tongi, where a similar chemical explosion had occurred that killed three firefighters.
The lock on the main gate of the burnt chemical warehouse has been broken open, but toxic fumes continue to fill the site, making it too dangerous to enter, fire service officials said.
They believed that no one was inside the warehouse when the fire broke out as the main gate was locked.
The autopsies of six victims, including two women, were completed at Dhaka Medical College morgue Wednesday evening, the CID forensic lab examiner, Md Masud Rabbi, told reporters.
鈥楽amples of the remaining bodies will be collected tomorrow. Claimants of the remains have been asked to give DNA samples at the CID鈥檚 Malibagh lab at 9:00am tomorrow,鈥� he said.
Meanwhile, grieving family members were waiting at the hospital since Tuesday night to receive the bodies of their loved ones.
Rupnagar police station sub-inspector Muklesur Rahman Laskar at DMCH said that several families had been claiming a single body and DNA profiling would be done to confirm the identities of all 16 victims before handing them over to their family members.
Meanwhile, a seven-member investigation committee led by聽 the Ministry of Labour and Employment joint secretary Loshkar Tajul Islam, was formed to investigate the fire incident, said a press release issued by the ministry on Wednesday.
The committee would determine the cause of the fire, identify those responsible, assess the extent of the damage, and make necessary recommendations and submit its report within seven working days.
A technical team from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology inspected the spot on Wednesday to assess the situation and decide on the next course of action, the fire service said in a text message in the afternoon.
The administration would also determine the official list of missing persons, they said.
Fire Service and Civil Defence assistant director Md Nazmuzzaman, at another briefing on Wednesday afternoon, said that several 鈥榯oxic gases鈥� have been generated inside the chemical warehouse and have already dispersed into the air.
鈥楨xposure to these gases could cause skin, lung, and heart complications. The chemical issue is extremely dangerous and difficult. The chemicals were not stored following proper safety protocols. Different substances could react and cause large explosions,鈥� he said.
Meanwhile, the nearby factories like Hawlader Fashion, Vision Fashion, Rising Fashion Ltd, and educational institutions like Bangladesh University of Business and Technology were declared closed in the morning to avoid any further unwanted situation.
