Narrow roads delay firefighters by 20 minutes in Chawkbazar blaze

Firefighters took around 20 minutes to reach a fire at Manzur Khan Plaza in Old Dhaka’s Chawkbazar, despite the location being just two kilometres from the fire station, as narrow roads, heavy traffic and crowds hampered emergency access.

Ten Fire Service and Civil Defence units were working to bring the blaze under control at the seven-storey building on Monday night.

The fire broke out at a shop on the sixth floor of the building, located beside the A C Mosque in the Chhota Katra area of Chawkbazar.

The Fire Service received information about the fire at 5:04pm on Monday, October 12, and initially dispatched five units. Firefighters faced difficulties due to thick smoke inside the building. Although the fire was partially brought under control, it later spread to an adjacent building, prompting the deployment of additional units.

According to the Fire Service, it took around 20 minutes to cover the two-kilometre distance because of narrow roads, severe traffic congestion and crowds of onlookers. The same obstacles reportedly hampered the arrival of additional units as the situation worsened.

Local residents, eyewitnesses and traders claimed that firefighters arrived at least half an hour after the fire started. They also said the teams faced a water shortage within about 30 minutes of reaching the scene and struggled to find nearby water sources.

The narrow lanes and crowds obstructed firefighting and rescue operations. Videos recorded by drone cameras showed the difficulties faced by fire engines trying to enter the area.

A firefighter, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the narrow roads, traffic congestion, crowds and shortage of water made it difficult to contain the blaze. He said similar problems had occurred during previous fires in Old Dhaka.

According to the firefighter, the building housed shops on the second and third floors, while the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh floors were used as warehouses. The stored goods included cosmetics, umbrellas, vanity bags and other merchandise worth crores of taka.

Several firefighters reportedly fell ill while tackling the blaze. Police, local residents and traders also joined the efforts to assist the emergency crews.

A trader named Sabur said the extent of the damage remained unclear and that there was insufficient water to fight the fire. Firefighters had to collect water from a neighbouring market and spray it from another building because accessing the affected area was difficult.

The cause of the fire and the extent of the damage were not immediately known.