FR Tower can’t be used before renovation

The 22-storey Faruque-Rupayan Tower (FR Tower) that caught fire on Thursday cannot be used before renovation as the building was badly damaged by the fire, experts of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) said today.

According to the building and fire safety codes, the building cannot be used before renovation, said Prof MA Ansari of the civil engineering department of Bangladesh University Engineering Technology (Buet) who is leading a six-member team of Rajuk.

The team comprises of experts from Buet visited the fire-ravaged building in the morning.

“Today, we have inspected the entire building. We will present a detailed engineering assessment within five months,” said Prof MA Ansari of the civil engineering department of Buet.

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A tower of violations

The renovation will take at least three months as several columns and slabs have been damaged, MA Ansari told reporters.

The emergency exits were very narrow and there was only a fire door at one of the floors. Several flaws were also detected, he said adding that the building can no way be used before renovation.

However, the committee will place an initial report within three days before Rajuk, he said.

At least 26 people were killed in a deadly blaze in the building on Thursday. Fire safety experts found that the commercial high rise lacked any safe fire exit.

The Banani fire incident came just a month after the Chawkbazar fire tragedy that claimed the lives of 71 people.