Probe body formed on DNCC market fire

A five-member body has been formed by Fire Service and Civil Defence authority to investigate the fire that broke out at Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) kitchen market in the capital's Gulshan-1 early today.

Major Shakil Newaj, director (operations and maintenance) of fire service, said this while addressing a briefing at the DNCC kitchen market following a fire incident there this morning. 

“A five-member probe body of the fire service, led by Deputy Director Shamim Ahsan Chowdhury, has been formed to investigate the cause of the fire and estimate the damage caused by it,” the official said.

“The body has been asked to submit its report within seven working days,” he added.

"There is no adequate measures for fire control at the DNCC kitchen market. The authorities have been issued notice in this regard three to four times following the previous fire incident there, but no steps were taken yet to this effect," he also said.

Locals said the fire was brought under control promptly as it is weekly holiday and the adjacent roads were empty, reports Bangla daily Prothom Alo.

Firefighters arrived on the spot within a few minutes after being informed, they also said.

It is fortunate that the fire did not spread to the super market area of the DNCC market, otherwise the blaze would have become disastrous, the locals added. 

On January 3, 2017, a devastating fire reduced much of the DNCC market at Gulshan-1 to rubble. No one was killed or hurt in that blaze but over 300 shops were gutted and a portion of the market collapsed on impact, causing losses worth several hundred of crores of taka.