Savar, Jan 28 (bdnews24.com) — Firefighters managed to douse the fire at Grameen Knitwear in Savar after several hours but the national cricket team's jerseys were unharmed.
Although stacks of yarn were still burning when the fire service reported that the blaze was under control, factory management said that Bangladesh World Cup team jerseys, being manufactured there, were intact.
Fire service director Sheikh Mohammad Shahjalal confirmed bdnews24.com after about eight hours that the fire was under control. But some material was still in flames emitting smoke, he said.
The fire ravaged the ground and first floor of the factory but couldn't reach the second floor where the jerseys had been stored, said the factory general manager.
"We are still not certain about the cause of the fire. But it might been a short circuit," he said.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority chief Maj Gen ATM Shahidul Islam has ordered a three-strong committee to probe the fire at the jersey manufacturer.
However, Bangladesh Cricket Board's media chief Jalal Yunus said the factory authorities have assured them that the jerseys are safe.
Fire service chief Abu Nayeem Mohammad Shahidullah also visited the site as the fire still raged.
"The factory was filled with synthetic material which emits a large amount of smoke in a fire. We have tried to enter the facility by drilling into the other side of the building. But visibility was low due to the heavy smoke," he had told reporters.
Parvez Akhter, a fireman on duty at the site, said the fire had broken out from the ground floor store.
The factory's dyeing and knitting sections were open when the fire broke out but the garment section was closed.
Factory officials said that around a fifth of their 3,000-men workforce was in the factory but all of them were evacuated safely.
Dhaka district assistant superintendent of police Monowar Hossain said, "No one was killed. However, a worker named Asaduzzaman was injured. He has been sent to a hospital for first aid."
The factory's managing director Ashraful Hasan said that they had stored yarn worth around Tk 110 million on Thursday. He apprehended that the whole lot has gone up in flames.
The fire broke out at the four-storey factory within the new zone of the EPZ area around 9am on Friday.
