The lock of the main gate of the burnt chemical warehouse in Mirpur鈥檚 Shialbari had been broken open, but toxic fumes continue to fill the site, making it too dangerous to enter, said the Fire Service and Civil Defense officials.
At a briefing on Wednesday afternoon, Fire Service assistant director Md Nazmuzzaman said that they had opened the main gate wearing chemical safety suits.
After breaking the lock, they observed that the inside part of the two-story chemical warehouse was full of dense smoke.
鈥極perations are still ongoing and it may take a long time,鈥� he added.
Nazmuzzaman also said that it was not yet safe to conduct operations inside the warehouse. They thought no one was inside the warehouse when the fire broke out because the gate was locked.
A technical team from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology is expected to join the Fire Service later in the afternoon to assess the situation and decide on the next course of action.
The administration would also determine the official list of missing persons, he said.
The fire at the nearby garment factory was now under control, he said.
However, several 鈥榯oxic gases鈥� have been generated inside the chemical warehouse and have already dispersed into the air. Exposure to these gases could cause skin, lung, and heart complications, they warned.
鈥楾he chemical issue is extremely dangerous and difficult,鈥� Nazmuzzaman added, saying that if chemicals were not stored following proper safety protocols, different substances could react and cause large explosions.
He added that this is why extinguishing the fire is taking a long time.
Responding to a question about what type of chemicals were stored there, he said that they did not know about this yet.
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 unwanted situation.
A number of Fire Service personnel and police personnel have been deployed at the Rupnagar area. Army vans were seen patrolling at around 12:00pm.
Students from BUBT and other institutions were observed maintaining traffic and discipline in the area.
Curious people, workers of the nearby factories, were crowded at the roads and gates.
The fire broke out about 11:30am on Tuesday at a tin-shed, two-story and four-story chemical warehouse on Shialbari鈥檚 Road No 3. The flames spread rapidly after explosions inside the warehouse, engulfing a nearby four-story building.
Some sources said that the name of the chemical warehouse was Alam Chemical.
Sixteen bodies were later recovered from the second and third floors of that building. Families of ten of the victims have claimed to have identified their loved ones.
The affected building houses multiple businesses, including a T-shirt printing factory called Smart Printing on the second floor and RN Fashion, a garment factory, on the third and fourth floors.
