Bangladesh Factory Inferno Kills At Least 16 in Dhaka

At least 16 people have been confirmed dead after a massive fire engulfed a garment factory and an adjoining chemical warehouse in Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital, late Monday, according to fire officials.

The blaze broke out on the third floor of the seven-story building in the Mirpur industrial area before quickly spreading through the structure and into a nearby chemical storage facility.

The fire, which took several hours to bring under control, sent thick plumes of smoke across the district as firefighters battled the flames through the night.

Officials from the Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence said the bodies of at least 16 victims have been recovered so far, though the death toll is expected to rise as rescue operations continue. Several others were injured, many suffering from smoke inhalation and burns caused by exposure to toxic fumes.

According to authorities, the warehouse housed flammable substances such as bleaching powder, plastic materials, and hydrogen peroxide chemicals believed to have accelerated the spread of the blaze.

“We have recovered 16 bodies from the garment section of the building, and our teams are still searching for more victims,” a senior fire official told reporters at the scene. “The combination of textiles and chemicals made the fire extremely difficult to control.”

Emergency responders evacuated nearby buildings as flames threatened to spread to adjacent structures. By early Tuesday, firefighters had managed to contain the fire, though cooling operations continued into the morning.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation. Safety officials are examining whether the factory had proper fire exits and safety compliance certification, as Bangladesh continues to grapple with poor industrial safety standards in its garment sector the country’s largest export industry, employing about four million workers.

Industrial fires are not uncommon in Bangladesh. In 2012, a blaze at the Tazreen Fashions factory killed more than 100 workers, drawing global attention to the nation’s workplace safety practices.

Authorities have promised a full investigation into the latest incident, with compensation and support pledged for victims’ families.