At least 70 people were killed in a fire that ripped through several buildings at the densely-populated Chawkbazar in Old Dhaka on Wednesday (Feb 20) in a grim reminder of the deadly Nimtali fire nine years ago.
More than 40 people have been admitted to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
As many 37 fire-fighting units worked for 15 hours to douse the flames. The fire became less visible after water was sprayed from helicopters.
The blaze was highly difficult to control because of flammable chemicals that were stored in several buildings, the fire service said.
The fire started at a four-storey building and spread to two neighbouring structures. Among them was a restaurant. It then spread across the narrow alley to two other buildings.
The ground floor of the building, where the fire originated, had several shops. The first floor was being used as a warehouse for plastic goods, cosmetics and perfume. The top two floors were residential.
Wednesday’s fire brings back to mind the devastating 2010 fire just a half a kilometer away at Old Dhaka’s Nimtali killing 124 people.