Gazipur garments factory fire under control

The fire that started at the Amazon Knitwear Ltd factory in Gazipur's Panishail area around 11:40am has been brought under control.

Two firefighting units brought the blaze under control around 3:40pm, Abdullah Arefin, deputy assistant director of Gazipur Fire Service, told The Daily Star.

The factory was set ablaze by workers of Doreen Fashion Ltd after authorities declared 20 factories, including Doreen Fashion and Amazon Knitwear, closed today due to the ongoing protests of Beximco workers, said Md Sarwar Alam, superintendent of Gazipur Industrial Police, quoting workers and witnesses.

Doreen Fashion Ltd had reopened its factory yesterday after remaining closed since November 1.

Workers were agitated after they saw the closure notice on their factory gate when they arrived at work this morning. They started protesting, setting fire to Amazon Knitwear, added SP Sarwar.

"Efforts are underway to persuade Beximco workers to leave the roads. However, they do not want to retreat until their due salaries are cleared," he added.