Gazi tyres factory fire doused after 32hrs; building at risk of collapse

The fire at the Gazi Tyres factory in Rupganj of Narayanganj was completely doused around 5:00am today, after burning for nearly 32 hours, according to fire service personnel.
Assistant Director of Fire Service and Civil Defence Anwarul Haque said that despite the fire was extinguished, rescue operations have yet to begun due to the fragile condition of the building, our local correspondent reports from the spot.
He warned that there is still a risk of the fire reigniting due to the residual heat inside the structure.
“After a long effort, we managed to turn down the flame for now, but there is still significant heat inside the building,” Anwarul Haque said. He added that no casualties were found on the roof after a search conducted using a turntable ladder (TTL).Fire Service Director Lt Col Rezaul Karim said the fire was brought under control around 7:05pm yesterday.
However, while flames were no longer visible this morning, thick smoke continued to billow from the area.
Relatives of the missing were seen gathering in front of the factory, anxiously awaiting news of their loved ones who are still missing.
Criminals set fire to the factory, owned by former Awami League minister Golam Dastagir Gazi, around 9:00pm Sunday, hours after the arrest of Gazi.
Factory officials claimed that hundreds of people in two groups stormed the six-storey building in the Rupshi area beside Dhaka-Sylhet highway and resorted to vandalism and looting Sunday afternoon.
Saiful Islam, assistant general manager at Gazi Tyres, said the criminals set fire to the ground floor around 9:00pm.
Lt Col Rezaul Karim told The Daily Star earlier that relatives were claiming that their family members, who were in the factory during the fire, were missing.
“We are noting down the names and addresses provided by the relatives. So far, we have 174 names.”
However, the fire service in a text message sent to the media around 5:50pm yesterday said they were not officially maintaining any list of the missing. Some locals gave their phone numbers and requested them to inform them if any victim was found.