Massive fire breaks out at factory in CEPZ

A massive fire broke out at the Al Hamid Textile factory located in the Chittagong Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) on Thursday afternoon, prompting a large-scale response from emergency services. 

The eight-story building housed approximately 500 workers at the time of the incident.

The blaze started suddenly around 2:10 pm on the seventh and eighth floors, where flammable materials were stored in the factory's warehouse. 

According to Chittagong Fire Service Deputy Director Jasim Uddin, the presence of these combustible items has intensified the fire but is also enabling quicker containment efforts. 

"The building is eight-storeyed, and the fire originated on the upper floors amid flammable materials, so we're working urgently to bring it under control," he stated.

All workers have been safely evacuated, with no confirmed injuries reported so far. 

Jasim Uddin, quoting the factory owner, noted that the affected warehouse areas on the seventh and eighth floors were unoccupied and empty of personnel. 

Employees from the sixth floor and below descended promptly upon hearing the alarm, and rescue teams saved an additional 25 to 30 individuals, he added.

To combat the fire, 15 units from the Fire Service, supported by three units from the Navy, have been deployed. 

Two platoons from the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have also joined the rescue and containment operations. 

Local administration officials, industrial area security personnel, Industrial Police, and EPZ authorities are coordinating on-site.

A Fire Service source from the Chittagong division explained that the fire's spread across multiple floors has delayed full control, but progress is being made. 

The cause of the incident and the extent of damages remain unknown pending investigation. 

Efforts continue to fully extinguish the flames and secure the area.